The Relationship Evolution
by Musickat18
Summary: A story about the natural evolution of love.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to The Big Bang Theory. **

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this story. A few things first. The idea is that each chapter will take place from the point of view of either Amy or Sheldon. Also, I'm going to warn you ahead of time that there won't be any Shamy Sex throughout the course of the story. So now you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

**Amy**

As Amy watched Sheldon give his complicated order to the waiter at their table, she reflected a bit on her current status. Prior to meeting Sheldon she had felt no need for human contact and indeed had often felt more comfortable among the primates in her laboratory than around others of her own species. She had only signed up for that ridiculous dating website to get her mother off her back and fulfill her once yearly obligation to date. She hadn't expected anything to come of it, and she certainly hadn't expected to meet a man of Sheldon's caliber. His intelligence was unmatched by anyone else she knew, save herself of course, which was the first thing that drew her towards him as a friend.

She watched Sheldon continue to make inquiries regarding the sanitation of the cutlery, the temperature at which the meat was kept in the refrigerator and freezer, and whether the tangerine chicken was indeed made with real tangerines, and smiled to herself. Their friendship had grown, despite either of them. Amy supposed their now mutual friends were the reason for that. Penny, now Amy's bestie, had convinced Sheldon to take Amy on a date after all. Amy again smiled to herself. She must remember to thank Penny for that. Penny always knew the best way to handle situations, and pushing Sheldon to hang out with Amy in person had been one of her better handlings. Amy had Penny to thank for having a boyfriend.

Just thinking that gave her a little thrill. She continued waiting patiently for her chance to order as Sheldon had now moved on to inquiries regarding the temperature at which the restaurant was kept. She had a boyfriend. Did life get any sweeter? If she had known this was where she would end up, she wouldn't have put up such a protest when her mother insisted she socialize. At the outset of their friendship Amy hadn't thought much about Sheldon's looks and whether or not she found him attractive. It had been his mind she was attracted to most of all. But over time Amy had found herself paying closer attention to the little things Sheldon did that she found endearing; the way he laughed, the little smile he gave her when he knew he had outwitted someone. She even started noticing the more physical aspects of his appearance. She quite liked that he was tall, and she liked the way he kept his hair well groomed and put into place. And of course she loved his eyes. She sometimes wondered if he knew this; he would often look directly at her when trying to get his way. She frequently had to avoid looking at his eyes when she was angry, lest she give in and let him have his way.

Sheldon caught her staring at him and did a little double take and slight confused frown before returning to the now exasperated waitress to resume his tirade regarding their current seating arrangement a mere 2 tables away from the bathroom, rather than the ideal central location several tables over. Amy quickly looked away and began to think she might have to intervene soon or risk contaminated food. It had been at Penny and Bernadette's insistence that she had said yes to a date with Stuart. At the time she was still feeling confused about her relationship with Sheldon, as yet undefined. And Stuart had seemed a nice fellow. She enjoyed the time she spent with him but had often found herself thinking about Sheldon and what he would have said and done in the same situations. She knew _her_ feelings at the time had bordered on what could be called romantic, but as Penny had said, if Sheldon wasn't going to define their relationship as anything other than friends, then it didn't hurt for her to look elsewhere for romantic companionship. What she hadn't realized was that Sheldon also apparently had feelings bordering on romantic. She had been very surprised when he interrupted her movie date with Stuart to ask her to officially become his girlfriend. She had managed to remain calm and aloof during the exchange, but it hadn't been easy. Her heart had been fluttering and her mind had been sent into a tailspin. But at the end of it, she found that, not only had Sheldon agreed to become (as Penny would say) "exclusive", but that he had actually uttered the words "Will you be my girlfriend?" And then on top of that he had taken the time to prepare the Relationship Agreement. When he had presented her with that, she really did give in to her emotions and uttered "That's so romantic".

And now here she was, on a date. On Valentine's Day. With her boyfriend…who she now realized was about to get them kicked out of the restaurant.

"Sheldon, this table is fine. I would like to order my food now."

"Now hang on a minute. I specifically specified in my reservation that I wanted a table ideally located in the center of the establishment and my wishes were clearly disregarded, as we are neither 'ideally located' nor anywhere near the center of the establishment."

The waitress sighed and was about to respond when Amy cut in quickly. "Sheldon, remember what Penny said about the treatment of those who serve you your food?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Fine," he turned to the waitress, "but I wanted it documented that I am _very_ unhappy with the service we have thus far received this evening."

"Sheldon." Amy turned to the waitress. "My apologies for my boyfriend." Sheldon crossed his arms looking insulted. "I will also have the tangerine chicken." She took the menus and handed them to the waitress, who was still shooting daggers at Sheldon as she walked away.

"Amy, I really wish you hadn't done that. How am I supposed to enjoy a meal when I am seated so close to the bathroom that I can smell the vanilla scented soap?"

"And how am _I_ supposed to enjoy a meal when we've been kicked out of the restaurant?"

Sheldon paused, looking as if he was about to counter when instead he said, "Fair point."

"Let's just enjoy our meal and the fact that we are out on a date on Valentine's Day."

Sheldon sighed. "Fine." Sheldon kept eyeing the bathroom door. Amy realized it was going to be up to her to distract him, or this could be a very long and painful meal. "Shall we play Travel Counter Factuals?"

Sheldon's face lit up. "Of course!"

_This date might be saved yet_, thought Amy.

* * *

><p>After dinner Sheldon announced the next item on the agenda was a visit the Natural History Museum. Amy was unconvinced that that was an appropriate place to be visiting on Valentine's Day, but decided not to say anything for now. At the moment she was just happy that Sheldon had put thought and effort into a Valentine's Day date. She had even let Penny talk her into putting on make-up for the occasion.<p>

When they had arrived and parked, Sheldon put on a look of nonchalance and suggested they take a walk around the back of the building. Amy looked at him for a moment, curious about the expression, and then followed his lead. When they rounded the corner her mouth popped open in a silent gasp. In front of her was a beautiful and enormous rose garden, complete several gazebos and a fountain in the middle. The garden was lit by whimsical lanterns placed throughout, probably specifically for Valentine's Day, and there were multiple couples wandering through.

Amy turned to Sheldon, who was obviously trying not to look too pleased with himself. "Sheldon. This is amazing. Did you think of this all on your own?"

"Of course I did. I am nothing, if not thorough in my research. I simply entered 'science' and 'Valentine's Day' into Google and this was the first suggestion. I was a little apprehensive at first, given that we are now outside and it is after dark, but I ultimately decided that I could make an exception for this one day. And also there are guards standing by over by that building should a rabble rouser try to accost us. Shall we?" He motioned her forward.

As they walked side by side discussing everything from their latest visit to the zoo to Sheldon's current research, Amy took in her surroundings. She couldn't help but notice that the other couples wandering around or sitting at the gazebos were engaging in public displays of affection. Some were a little more affectionate than others, but all of them were very obviously taken with their current partner. Normally Amy does not approve of such displays, but as it was Valentine's Day, she found herself wondering what it would be like to engage in a display with Sheldon. Amy has, on more than one occasion, attempted to get Sheldon to engage in a physical relationship. Thus far all she had been able to manage was a drunken (on her part) kiss and a night of cuddling. She couldn't remember Sheldon's reaction to her kiss, but she did remember he wasn't particularly comfortable or happy with the cuddling. At the time she had been too morose to worry about his feelings. Now, glancing around them, she realized that no one would look at them and realize they were a couple who had been officially dating for several months and unofficially together for well over a year. She grabbed his hand.

Sheldon stopped and looked down at their hands. "Amy, what are you doing? Neither of us are falling off a ledge, we have won no Nobel Prizes, and we are not receiving flu shots. You know this isn't in the Relationship Agreement." He attempted to let go of her hand, opening his fingers, but she refused to let go.

She turned towards him, still holding his hand, and took a breath. "Sheldon, it's Valentine's Day. I realize at the outset of our relationship we, or more specifically _you_, specified there would be no extraneous hand holding, but look around you. Social convention dictates that Valentine's Day is the one day of the year when it is socially acceptable to engage in public displays of affection. Everyone around us is either holding hands or kissing. Now, as I know you are uncomfortable with the unsanitary exchanging of saliva, I therefore concluded that hand holding was the best way to participate in this particular social convention." She looked at him steadily and held her breath.

He blinked at her for several seconds, turned around to continue walking, and curled his fingers around her hand. "Fine. But I want it on the official minutes of this date that I protested and that this is an exception to the rule that is not to be repeated on other days throughout the year."

Amy smiled inwardly, but maintained a calm exterior. "Very well. Shall we continue?" They started walking again and Sheldon immediately took back up his explanation of his current research. Amy knew that to others this would seem like a small step, but she felt it was momentous. She also knew that she had a long battle ahead of her if she wanted to keep moving forward…

**A/N: Thanks again for reading! And, for anyone wondering, there really is a rose garden behind the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. It's called the "Exposition Park Rose Garden", and it really is beautiful. For any watchers of "Bones", that's what they use for the outside shots of the "Jeffersonian".**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sheldon**

Sheldon stared at his whiteboard thinking. He was trying to balance the equation in front of him, but was having trouble concentrating. Amy kept popping into his head. It irritated him to no end. He erased a positive on the board and switched it to a negative, but wasn't really concentrating. He only wanted to look as if he was accomplishing something, rather than staring stupidly at a board he was paying no attention to. _Concentrate Cooper,_ he thought to himself, _you are a man of science. You will never obtain a Nobel Prize if all you can think about is your girlfriend._ He huffed outwardly in exasperation and switched the newly changed negative back to a positive.

Just then Raj walked into the office. "Hey Sheldon. Are you busy?"

"Of course I'm busy. I'm always busy. What is it?"

"We're planning to go to the comic book store tonight. Are you in?"

Sheldon turned to look at Raj, surprised. "But it's not new comic book night. Why are you going?"

Raj shrugged. "It's anything can happen Thursday and Leonard and Howard want to go. Are you in?"

Sheldon groaned. "Oh no. Tonight is my date night with Amy. Drat." He had been so preoccupied that he had forgotten that this month had 5 Thursdays and as such their date would be on the third Thursday this month, thus coinciding with anything can happen Thursday. "Perhaps I can talk her into going." Sheldon knew Amy had no interest whatsoever in comic books and had mentioned being baffled by his interest in them, but he wanted to go. He turned to Raj. "Yes I'll go. And I'm bringing Amy."

Raj frowned in confusion. "But I thought Amy hated comic books."

"As you said, it's anything can happen Thursday. And it 'happens' that I want to go to the comic book store. We can go and then continue on with our date after that." Sheldon turned back to his whiteboard as Raj sat down at his desk.

"It's your funeral dude," Raj said to himself.

Sheldon turned back around to glare at Raj before continuing on with his work.

* * *

><p>As Sheldon rode home with Leonard that prevening he was still thinking about Amy. It was baffling to him why he should be thinking about Amy so much. He blamed that hand holding session a few weeks ago. He should never have allowed it, even if it <em>was<em> Valentine's Day. This is precisely why he never wished to enter into a romantic attachment with anyone. He would never achieve his goals if he couldn't focus on his work. There were rumors swirling at the university that Kripke was close to making a significant discovery and Sheldon couldn't stand the thought of that…that…_sorry_ excuse for a physicist potentially obtaining more notoriety than the brilliant Dr. Cooper. No. He must talk to Amy. He would do so tonight during their date. He simply couldn't let her break the terms of the Relationship Agreement again. What good is mutual indemnification if one or both parties completely ignored the document?

"You're being awfully quiet today Sheldon," said Leonard. "Is something on your mind?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm simply reflecting on my work. There is an equation that I'm trying to balance and I'm having a, if you'll excuse my language, heck of a time figuring it out."

Leonard gave Sheldon a curious look. "Oh? So it's just work? There's nothing else bothering you?"

Sheldon turned towards Leonard with narrowed eyes. "Leonard, I don't know what you're implying, but I can assure you that nothing else is 'bothering me'. This is hardly the first time you've seen me mulling over an equation."

"Ok, ok. Sorry…but just so you know, I'm available if there's anything else you want to discuss."

"Well there's not. Thank you and if you'll forgive me, I'm going to go back to thinking about my equation." Sheldon turned back to face the front.

Yes, he would simply tell Amy that she must refrain from such displays again or risk an official charge for violations of the Relationship Agreement. He wondered how Amy would handle the discussion. He knew her to be an intelligent person; indeed she was probably the most intelligent person, aside from himself of course, he had met. However, ever since she decided to become friends with Penny he has noticed she can, at times, be a little more animalistic regarding her baser urges. He tried not to think about the drunken kiss she had given him. It had only occurred to him later to be repulsed by the fact that his lips had touched another's. At the time he had been so surprised and fascinated by the experience that he had let his thoughts betray him, responding with "Fascinating". Luckily Amy had consumed enough alcohol to render her memory useless and so he had never had to give an explanation for his response.

He sighed in exasperation, prompting Leonard to glance over at him again. This was preposterous! Here he was, spending his valuable time thinking about a kiss he had spent a good deal of his time intentionally not thinking about. And all this spurred on by a simple night of hand holding over a month ago! Yes, his mind was made up. After tonight, Amy would know in no uncertain terms that he was not going to stand for a repeated lapse in the terms of the Relationship Agreement.

* * *

><p>Sheldon opened the door for Amy to enter the comic book store first. She did so quietly, but gave him a look through narrowed eyes as she passed by him. He could tell she was upset and he did feel something akin to remorse, now that he thought about it, but there was little he could do about that now. He supposed he would just have to let her pick the movie tonight. If that didn't put her back in good spirits, then he was at a loss.<p>

"Hey Sheldon. Hey Amy." Leonard, Howard, and Raj were already perusing the comic book selections.

"Hello Leonard. Raj. Howard." Amy replied. Sheldon immediately started perusing along with the others. He could see the other three giving each other looks out of the corner of his eye, but he dismissed it.

Leonard cleared his throat. "So. Amy. How are things going at the lab?"

"Things are going well. The glass doors have all been replaced with Plexiglas after that fiasco involving the monkeys' switch to O'Douls. The cut on my torso is almost completely healed as well. We did obtain some rather fascinating data however, so the study is still referred to as a success."

Leonard, Raj, and Howard all exchanged glances. "Good…good…" replied Leonard.

Amy turned to Sheldon. "I'm going to go look at that She-ra display over there."

Sheldon didn't look up. "Ok."

After Amy had walked away Howard spoke up. "Sheldon, what are you doing?"

Sheldon didn't look up but replied, "I'm looking at comic books Howard. I know you only have a Master's Degree, but even I am surprised that you couldn't surmise that on your own."

"Dude, I don't even _have_ a girlfriend and I know that blowing off your date night to hang with your friends isn't something you want to do," Raj interjected.

"I'm not blowing it off. This is merely one stop in the night." Sheldon looked up. "I fully intend…" Something caught his eye. His friends looked around to see what he was looking at. They each sucked in a breath, looked at each other, and turned back around to look at Sheldon apprehensively. Amy was talking with Stuart.

Sheldon stood there expressionless, blinking and staring at Amy and Stuart chatting. His mind blanked, and then started running at top speed. Why was Stuart talking with Amy? And more importantly, why was Amy talking with Stuart? Was this because she was angry with him? Now that he thought about it, it _was_ probably a little rude to ask her to postpone their date to stop at the comic book store…

Before he had really thought it through, he walked quickly to Amy's side and grabbed her hand. "Hello Stuart." Amy looked down at their hands, blinked, and looked back at Sheldon. "Sheldon what are you doing?"

"Can't a guy hold his girlfriend's hand? Come on, we're going to be late for the movies." Without giving her a chance to respond, he pulled her towards the door and out onto the sidewalk.

"Sheldon. Stop." Amy pulled him to a stop. "That was rude."

"Yes, you're right. Stuart should never have started talking to you. You two have a history and it was rude of him to flaunt that in front of me."

"No Sheldon, I was talking about you."

Sheldon didn't respond to the statement.

"Why would you do that Sheldon? I thought you didn't like physical contact. I find it hard to believe that you would knowingly break the rules established in the Relationship Agreement."

Sheldon shuffled awkwardly and cleared his throat. "I would like to propose an amendment to the Relationship Agreement."

Amy blinked. "You would?"

Sheldon looked away and again cleared his throat. "Yes. I have come to the conclusion that it was short sighted to exclude hand holding when in a romantic relationship. I have been researching other couples and have concluded that it may be necessary to hold hands in order to establish that there is a romantic attachment and that the female, or male, in the relationship is, as they say, 'taken' and is not to be considered as a viable subject for proposed pair bonding."

Amy cocked her head to the side, thinking. Then she looked at him and said "Ok."

Sheldon tried not to look too pleased. "Very well. I will draw up the necessary paperwork and have it ready for the both of us to sign by tomorrow afternoon. Shall we continue to the movies?" He made to let go of her hand, but she held on. He blinked for a couple seconds and then started walking, hand in hand with Amy. _I guess I had better get used to this_, Sheldon thought.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and please review! Also, I noticed that next month really DOES have 5 Thursdays. What a happy accident!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Amy**

Penny opened the door a few short seconds after Amy's slightly frenzied knocking began. She looked a little baffled. "Hey Ames. What's up?"

"Penny, may I come in?"

"Of course. Make yourself at home. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Do you have tequila?"

Penny raised her eyebrows. "What's going on?...Oh God. What did Sheldon do?"

Amy shook her head. "No nothing…I just…am having conflicting emotions and I thought alcohol might help."

Penny gave Amy a curious look and then said "Well, how about we try something a little less strong. I have some wine. Is that ok?" Amy nodded her head.

When Penny came back, she handed a glass of white wine to Amy, who immediately took a large gulp. Penny again raised her eyebrows and then took a sip of her own wine. "So what's up?"

Amy paused. She didn't quite know how to begin or what to say. Instead she took another drink. She took a breath. "Sheldon held my hand last night." She looked at Penny, who looked only mildly shocked. Amy waited for a response.

"Oh…I'm not sure I understand. Is that why you're freaking out?"

"Yes." Amy waited for Penny to give her advice.

Penny took another drink of her wine. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to walk me through this. I'm not sure I'm understanding the freak out."

"Well, what does it mean? I mean, this is Sheldon. He actually proposed amending the Relationship Agreement." Penny looked genuinely surprised at that.

"Not bad Shelly," Penny said. She turned to Amy, "So I'm still a little confused. Isn't that a good thing? I thought you were really excited when he held your hand on Valentine's Day."

Amy gave a little smile at that. "I was…and I'm happy he held it last night…I just, don't know how to process it." Penny gave her an encouraging look. "Well, it's just, I've had to fight for every step forward with Sheldon. What brought on his sudden desire to have a hand holding amendment in the Relationship Agreement? And should I be encouraged by this? Does it mean he's going to be more willing in the future for further intimacy? Or does it mean that he just wanted the right to mark his territory? You have much more experience in matters of the heart Penny. Tell me, in your vast experience, what does this mean?"

Penny cleared her throat. "Vast? Well, I don't know that I have 'vast' experience…" She glanced at Amy, but Amy was waiting for Penny to answer her questions. "Sweetie, I don't know what to tell you. I'm afraid my, ahem, 'vast' experience doesn't translate into Sheldon. He's a _whole_ different breed of man." Amy looked crestfallen so Penny put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "But, I _do_ think this is a positive sign. "

"Really?"

"Of course sweetie! Think of it this way. Sheldon, self proclaimed germaphobe and touch bubble enthusiast, is willing to change a, um, 'legally binding' contract in order to have the right to hold your hand. That has to mean something right? It's certainly a huge leap forward for him. Lord knows, _I_ never thought I'd see the day when our little Shelly had a girlfriend, let alone one he was willing to bend the rules for." Penny winked at Amy, who was already starting to feel better. Then she had another thought.

"So where do I go from here?"

"Well…where do you _want_ to go from here?"

Amy blushed and had a hard time answering. She took another long drink of her wine and looked at Penny, who had a twinkle of laughter in her eye. "What's the matter Ames? You weren't so shy the _last_ time you wanted to kiss Dr. Cooper." Amy's blush deepened.

"Yes. Well. If you'll recall, I had had significantly more alcohol. And I really don't remember that night."

"Well, what about that night you guys cuddled? Didn't you proposition him then?"

Amy stammered, "Yes, well, I was feeling…morose…the circumstances were different…and I went in to the proposition knowing what the likely answer would be."

"Boy this hand holding thing has really thrown you for a loop hasn't it?" Amy nodded. "Don't let it worry you so much. You and Sheldon have come a long way in a relatively short time…for you at least. I say just bask in the glow of victory for a little while. You can't make the next move if _both_ of you are uncomfortable. Just milk that hand holding for all it's worth sister!"

Amy felt better. "Thank you Penny. I knew you'd know what to say. You always do." Amy smiled at her. Penny smiled uncomfortably back. "Thanks Ames…"

Amy looked at her watch and stood up. "I should get going. It's getting late. Thank you for listening to me."

"Any time Amy. And hey, if anything else is bothering you feel free to come over and chat again."

"I will thank you." And with that Amy left Penny's apartment, feeling much calmer about things. As she walked down the stairs, hoping not to run into Sheldon, she reflected on the conversation. Penny was right, she and Sheldon _had_ come a long way. She didn't know why this amendment to the Relationship Agreement had thrown her so much. She was beyond thrilled of course. The fact that she could now request to hold Sheldon's hand any time she wanted was a perk she didn't think she'd ever grow tired of. But when Penny started asking Amy where she wanted to go from here Amy had started panicking again. She wasn't even sure what her panic was about. After all, as Penny pointed out, it's not like she hadn't suggested kissing to Sheldon before (or just outright kissed him…). She would definitely have to think about this some more. She didn't want to move so quickly that one or the both of them backed off. And to be honest, now that she knew she would be getting some physical contact from Sheldon she was happy to wait for the next step. Yes, now that she realized that, she was starting to feel much better. She would happily wait until such time as she felt the next step was appropriate. That and she didn't really want to risk any more violations to the Relationship Agreement so soon…

* * *

><p>As the weeks wore on, Amy's panic wore off. She asked to hold Sheldon's hand as many times as she dared. Sometimes he would protest at first, but when she reminded him of the amendment and the fact that <em>he<em> was the one to propose it, he would always relent. Always when they were holding hands she would have the irresistible urge to smile. She had a hard time keeping her emotions in check. She knew that with Sheldon she couldn't put her feelings for him too much on display as he found that very off putting. But every once in awhile she would glance out of the corner of her eye and catch him looking at her or their intertwined hands. He would always glance away quickly and would deny that he had done any such thing. But Amy knew what she saw and it gave her hope every time she caught him. Hope that perhaps some day soon he would be willing to move on to step 2 in their relationship: kissing.

Amy knew she had to tread carefully if she wanted to get Sheldon to agree to allow her to kiss him. Part of the reason she held his hand so frequently was to get him used to contact with her; although truth be told the other part was simply that she loved holding his hand. In fact, she loved it so much that sometimes she would let go, as the contact would make her heart beat faster and she would have the overwhelming urge to cuddle up next to him or kiss him right then. And she knew that she couldn't allow herself to do that as it would only cause him to freeze up. No. This would require careful prior consideration.

She looked over at him seated next to her, smiled, and took a deep breath. "Sheldon." He looked from the television to her. "I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house tomorrow night for dinner. We could also watch more Doctor Who if you like."

Sheldon blinked and said, "But tomorrow isn't our regular date night."

"I know." Amy took another deep breath. "But I thought it would be nice to hang out together somewhere else besides your living room or a restaurant."

"But what's wrong with my living room or a restaurant?"

"Nothing," Amy replied. "I just thought it would be a nice change."

"But tomorrow is Halo night."

Amy didn't respond, but waited for an answer from Sheldon. He thought for a moment and then said "Alright," smiled at her and turned back towards the television. Amy grinned and turned back to the t.v. as well. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the other members of their group exchange glances and hidden grins. Penny winked at her and Amy blushed.

* * *

><p>She had everything set. She had ordered Chinese food from the Szechuan Palace, but instead of eating it from the boxes, she had arranged it in bowls and had set her coffee table. It may not be very formal, but at least it was a little more upscale than eating out of take out boxes. She had put some candles on the coffee table as well, and had folded napkins beside their plates. Just as she put on the finishing touches she heard Sheldon's signature knock.<p>

_Knock knock knock_ "Amy"

_Knock knock knock_ "Amy"

_Knock knock knock_ "Amy"

Amy walked over and answered the door. "Hello Sheldon. Please come in."

Sheldon grinned and stepped over the threshold. "Thank you Amy."

"Would you like a beverage?"

"Oh yes, please. Do you have any Yoo-hoo?"

"Yes, of course. Please. Make yourself comfortable." Amy went to get his drink and Sheldon sat down.

"This is a very nice set up Amy." Sheldon looked over at her with a smile. "It reminds me of the time Rajesh was staying with me as a temporary roommate. Oh and I see you have made all the necessary provisions." He held up the bottles of Spicy mustard and low sodium soy sauce.

"I'm glad you like it Sheldon. Shall we?" As they ate, they conversed about their day. Sheldon was excited about his latest research, as he felt certain that, if he could get the math to work, it would be enough to procure his Nobel Prize. Amy loved watching him speak so enthusiastically. This was, she had observed, a side of Sheldon that few others noticed or appreciated. Usually people were either uninterested or mocking Sheldon's enthusiasm (or, to be more specific, his condescencion of other's work). As a result, few noticed the happy twinkle in his eye when he described the work he so loved. Surprisingly, after chatting on for 30 minutes about his work, Sheldon switched topics and asked, "And how is _your_ current research going?"

Amy beamed. Ever since he had worked with her in her lab, he was much more genuinely interested in hearing about what she was doing. "Oh it's going very well." She proceeded to fill him in on the details of her current research. He watched her intently, with a small smile on his face. And, since they had finished their meal by then and had sat back on the couch, he reached for her hand.

Amy stopped mid sentence, and blinked. This wasn't necessarily the _first_ time he had grabbed her hand, but it was still somewhat shocking. Here he was, being genuinely interested in her research, allowing her to spend several minutes talking about the research even, and then grabbing her hand as if it were the natural thing for him to do.

"Amy?" Sheldon cocked his head. "Are you alright?"

She looked up from their hands, into his concerned eyes, and blinked rapidly. Her mind was blank. "I..." And then she leaned over quickly and kissed him.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading. And remember, review review review! Stay tuned for Sheldon's reaction. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** **Thank you guys so much for reading. I have really enjoyed your responses to my story thus far. I will admit that it was very fun to leave the last chapter with such a cliff hanger. This chapter was both a challenge and a delight to write. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Sheldon**

Ever since proposing the amendment to the Relationship Agreement, Sheldon found that his concentration and dedication to his work had returned. It was the strangest thing. He had been sure that the physical contact with Amy had been the cause for his distraction and that cutting it off completely would be the cure. But ever since he had signed the amendment and had started regularly holding Amy's hand, he found that, rather than diminishing his concentration, he was better able to focus. It was a fascinating turn of events.

At first he had found the contact a little uncomfortable. He trusted that Amy regularly washed her hands, but he still couldn't help thinking about all the germs she must be carrying around on her hands after dealing with Rhesus monkeys all day. And that's not to mention that the least awkward way to be holding hands was to be sitting or standing rather close to the person in question. But as Amy continued to regularly grab his hand he found that those thoughts started disappearing and he became used to the contact. Almost comfortable even. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

He_ was_ rather fond of Amy. At the beginning of the official relationship there had been many blunders, apparently by him, although at times he really was at a loss to understand just what he had said or done to upset Amy. Thank goodness for Leonard and Penny. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

He really enjoyed spending time with Amy, so when she asked him over to her house for dinner unexpectedly, he was happy to say yes. And when he saw the effort she had gone to, to make sure his dietary preferences were met, he had been touched. Sometimes he thought that no one understood him better than Amy; even his mother or his beloved Mee-Maw. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

One of his favorite things about Amy was her sincere interest in his work. He liked that he could talk to her about it, that she would listen without judging every word out of his mouth, and most importantly, that she understood what he was talking about and would sympathize with his problems. As to some of the blunders he had made, the area of _her_ work was probably the largest of them. He honestly hadn't understood just what she found so fascinating about neurobiology, and had said as much to her on several occasions. Only after working with her had he truly seen the value of her work and had come to appreciate that she was, in fact, at the top of her field. He had learned, through Leonard and Penny, that sometimes he had to take an interest in what interested Amy. Luckily, that was now easy, as he really _was_ interested.

By the time Sheldon asked Amy about her work, they had finished eating. As she started talking they both sat back on the couch. Sheldon had gotten so used to holding Amy's hand in such situations that he automatically grabbed it. When Amy stopped talking he was at a loss as to what the look on her face meant. Was she ill? "Amy? Are you alright?"

She looked at their hands and then looked up. "I…" she said, and then before he knew what was happening she was kissing him. Her lips were touching his. His eyes shut of their own accord and his mind blanked. All he could focus on at the moment was the fact that Amy's lips were touching his lips. And then her lips were gone.

His eyes opened as she sat back. The entire exchange couldn't have lasted more than a couple of seconds. As Amy sat back Sheldon instinctively squeezed her hand. She paused and gave him a curious look. He realized what he was doing and loosened his grip. They sat staring at each other for a bit, neither one talking, although still holding hands.

Sheldon didn't know what to think first. Why had Amy done that? It was, of course, yet another violation to the Relationship Agreement. And then there were the germs to consider. His first instinctual thought was that he needed to immediately sterilize his mouth with mouthwash. And yet, he hadn't necessarily found the pressure of her lips on his repellent either. He found himself thinking that it might have almost been enjoyable. Not that he would admit that out loud.

This kiss was different from their last kiss nearly a year ago. For one thing, Amy most certainly is not drunk, and, by the look on her face, is anxiously waiting for his response. He would have to respond carefully. He didn't want to inadvertently hurt her feelings, but he didn't want to have to worry about Amy potentially kissing him in the future either.

Amy was the first one to break the silence. She cleared her throat. "Um. I'm sorry." Sheldon looked at her, at a loss as to how to respond. "Perhaps you should go, Sheldon. It's getting late."

Sheldon blinked. "Go?...alright." He wasn't sure why Amy was asking him to go. Was she upset? Why would she be upset? She was the one who kissed him…_he_ hadn't violated the Relationship Agreement. He got up and walked to the door. He turned around before he left, cleared his throat and said, "I had a very…nice evening. Thank you for dinner." Amy nodded but didn't look at his eyes. He paused again, contemplating what to say, but he was still at a loss. So instead of saying anything he simply turned around and walked out the door.

* * *

><p>By the time Sheldon had gotten back to his building, he had concluded one thing: he had no idea what to do. It wasn't a feeling he liked, and one which, until recently, he used to be unfamiliar with. He contemplated talking with Leonard about the subject, but wondered if he'd have any more idea what Amy was thinking than him. He supposed he could act like nothing had happened. The last time Amy had kissed him, they had agreed to pretend it had never happened, and that had worked out well. But even Sheldon knew that the last time was different than this time. Last time they were no more than friends and Amy had been drunk. No, the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that a reboot would work.<p>

And why had Amy been in such a rush to get him out the door? Confound it! He was simply no good at figuring out the internal workings of the female mind. Not that he would admit that out loud.

And then it hit him. Penny. If anyone was capable of understanding the inner workings of a female, it was Penny. She _was_ female after all…And now that he thought about it, she likely will have heard about the incident from Amy. This gave him reason to pause. Hmm. He really hated it when he had to admit he might have been at fault for something…especially to Penny. And he _was_ at fault right? He wasn't sure for what, but it seemed the only logical explanation for Amy's behavior. And it wouldn't be the first time he had made a blunder without realizing it. Being a boyfriend was hard. And that he _would_ admit out loud.

He still wondered occasionally why so many of his gender sought out romantic attachments. He was very fond of Amy, but sometimes it seemed he spent an inordinate amount of time trying to correct a blunder. It was baffling.

By this time he was at the top of the stairs, so he walked over to Penny's apartment and knocked.

_Knock Knock Knock _Penny

_Knock Knock Knock_ Penny

_Knock Knock Knock_ Penny

"It's open!"

Sheldon hated it when Penny did that. Didn't she know he could be a villain ready to open the door and accost her? He walked in to find her and Leonard on the couch. Leonard looked annoyed at Sheldon.

"Penny, don't you know that it is dangerous to leave your door unlocked and to invite a person in without first checking who they are? I could have been a villain ready to open the door and accost you at the first chance I got."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "What do you want Sheldon? We're busy here."

Sheldon looked at Penny. "Penny I need to talk to you privately." He looked at Leonard. "Leonard, get out."

Leonard started to protest, but Penny cut him off, "Leonard you had probably better just go. You know he'll never let up until I talk to him. I'll meet you back at your place." Leonard rolled his eyes again, got up, and went out the door.

Penny looked at Sheldon, "So what does the great Dr. Cooper wish to speak to me about?"

Sheldon gave her a look. "I think we both know that you already know what I wish to speak to you about."

"Ah yes. Would this have anything to do with the 20 or so texts I've received from Amy in the past 30 minutes wondering if she still has a boyfriend?"

Sheldon was taken aback. "But why would she wonder if she still had a boyfriend? That's just silly. Of course she has a boyfriend. She's read the Relationship Agreement. She knows that there is a 72 hour notice of impending termination of the agreement if one or both parties wishes to terminate the relationship. Why would she wonder that?"

"Well, because she kissed you and you ran out of there."

"What? Ran out of there? She told me to leave. What was I supposed to do?" Sheldon was even more confused than before the conversation started. Women truly _were_ baffling.

"Well, sweetie, you could have responded to her kiss. She thought you hated it and that's why you weren't saying anything. She said she knows that you like to avoid confrontation when there is, and I quote, 'potential for female weeping'."

Just when Sheldon thought he couldn't become any more confused, he did. "But this makes no sense. I didn't say anything because I had nothing to say. She kissed me without warning, in violation of the Relationship Agreement, and then apologized. I was completely baffled by the experience and had no time to process what had happened before she asked me to leave."

Penny gave him a look, like she was considering something. "Sheldon. I have a question for you, and I want you to answer honestly."

"Penny, you know I don't lie."

"I know…but I just wanted to make sure you knew I was expecting a real answer from you."

Sheldon looked at her. "Well…what is it?" He detested when a person stated they wanted to ask a question and then took longer than necessary to ask it.

Penny paused another moment, as if thinking about something. Finally she looked at him. "Did you enjoy having Amy kiss you?"

Sheldon thought for a moment. He didn't really want to answer Penny's question. For one thing he had been trying _not_ to think of the answer to that particular question. He thought back to his initial thoughts. It was true that he hadn't found the pressure of her lips on his unpleasant, but he wasn't sure how to process that, so he moved on to his next thought. The shear amount of germs involved in kissing was something he just wasn't sure he could get past. Although, now he thought about it, he had yet to rinse his mouth out with mouthwash or some other form of alcohol. He hoped he didn't get sick. He looked at Penny, who was still waiting for her answer.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Penny. It's not often that you are going to hear me utter those words. Please pay attention, as you will not be likely to hear them from me again. What I mean, is that I don't know how I feel about it."

Penny thought for a moment. "But wait…so you _didn't_ hate it?"

"No."

"But you didn't like it?"

Sheldon didn't answer. "How should I best respond to Amy? I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I also don't want her thinking it is ok to keep kissing me. We have a Relationship Agreement for a reason."

"Look Sheldon, I'm not really the one to talk to about this. What you _should_ be doing is talking with Amy. But you might want to ask yourself this: what is Amy getting out of this relationship?"

Sheldon was baffled. "What do you mean? She's getting a relationship with a brilliant physicist. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Just…think about it ok? And talk to her. Soon."

Sheldon gave Penny a confused look. "…Alright. But I'm still not sure what you're talking about…but you have given me something to think about and have at least given me a reason for Amy's actions." He looked at her and gave her a sincere smile. "Thank you Penny."

"You're welcome Sweetie."

Sheldon walked back over to his apartment. He made a short stop at the bathroom and used his mouth wash before continuing in to his bedroom. He could hear Penny telling Leonard what they had talked about, but he didn't much care. She had given him a great deal to think about. Her question to him kept playing in his head. What did Amy get out of the relationship?

He started listing things in his mind. _She gets to say that she is the girlfriend of the brilliant Dr. Sheldon Cooper, she gets a regulated date night once per month, she even gets to hold my hand whenever she feels like it…I don't know what Penny is talking about._ He thought about the relationships of his friends. Despite their belief that he didn't care about their relationships (and to a large degree they were right) he had found it helpful to observe them, usually for tips on what _not_ to do. What made their relationships different than his with Amy? The best he could come up with was that they all participated in intercourse. He recoiled at the thought. It was a germ related nightmare to think about.

But wait. Is that what Penny was talking about? Is that why Amy kissed him? Amy _had_ in the past asked him to participate in coitus with her, but he had always dismissed it. It had been so long since she had asked that he had thought perhaps she had dismissed the idea as well. Well, this was something to think about. Did Amy hope that she could get him to participate in such an unsanitary activity? Oh dear. This was going to be a problem.

He did indeed enjoy Amy's company, and didn't find hand holding detestable anymore either, now that he saw the use in it. The kiss itself was still a baffling thing for him. He knew that if anyone _else_ had kissed him he wouldn't have liked it at all. But Amy's kiss just hadn't been detestable. He still didn't think he liked the idea of doing it all the time. But where to go from here? How did he fix this and keep both himself and Amy happy?

He again thought of his friends and their relationships. Suddenly he had an idea. He gave it careful thought and concluded that it was in all likelihood the best compromise for both parties. He drew up the necessary paperwork to again amend the Relationship Agreement. He glanced at his watch and found that it was perhaps a little late to be going over to Amy's…but then again, if he didn't resolve the issue soon, he was unlikely to get a good night's sleep anyway.

He walked into the living room. "Leonard, I need you to drive me to Amy's"

"At this hour? Sheldon it's after 11:00."

"Yes. And be quick about it, if you please."

Leonard grumbled, but grabbed his coat.

* * *

><p><em>Knock Knock Knock <em>Amy

_Knock Knock Knock _Amy

_Knock Knock Knock _Amy

When Amy answered the door a couple moments later, she had a baffled expression on her face. He could also see that her eyes were red rimmed. "Sheldon, what are you doing here?"

Sheldon looked at her and took a deep breath. "I have another proposed amendment to the Relationship Agreement." He handed her the sheet of paper. She read it, but looked up confused.

"What brought this on?"

Sheldon cleared his throat. "Well…I gave the events of this evening some thought. I concluded that this was the best compromise for the situation."

Amy looked again at the document. When she looked up, she looked considerably happier than when she had opened the door. "I agree. Where do I sign?"

**A/N: Thank you again for reading. And Please remember to review! I'll be working hard at the next chapter so that you can find out just what compromise Dr. Cooper proposed. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** **Don't worry, there is no cliff hanger on this one. ;)**

**Amy**

Amy had been feeling sad ever since Sheldon had left earlier in the evening. She knew she had crossed a line as soon as she sat back after the kiss. The look on his face. He wouldn't even talk. He had just kept staring at her. With every minute that passed Amy's heart had sunk lower and lower until there was nothing left to do but give him an out. She had apologized and told him it was time for him to go. She had faintly hoped that breaking the silence would have induced him to say something, but all he had done was thank her for dinner and leave.

As soon as he had left, Amy had whipped out her phone and started frantically texting Penny. She was really worried that she might have compromised the relationship entirely. She hadn't meant to kiss him, but had let her emotions get the better of her. Penny had texted her to calm down and give her the details. She had tried to put as much into the texts as she could. She would have called, but she didn't feel like crying over the telephone. After half an hour of texting Penny told her to wait, because Sheldon had just knocked on the door.

Amy waited anxiously and replayed the events of the evening in her mind. She supposed it was only natural, given that she had spent so much time thinking about kissing Sheldon, that she would have let her emotions get the better of her when he was being a particularly good boyfriend. She thought about the fact that Sheldon had grabbed her hand and couldn't help but feel better at the memory.

Just then Penny texted "_Spoke with Sheldon. Things aren't as bad as you think. Just calm down. I told him to talk to you about it."_

Amy started to feel better and wondered what he had said to Penny. Could she have over reacted? Now she really felt silly. She thought about texting Penny some more, but she was getting tired and thought perhaps bed was the best thing at the moment.

She started to clean up from the dinner, putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and putting the leftover food away. She decided to take a quick shower before bed. Crying had made her face feel sticky. After the shower she put on her pajamas and got into bed.

Not too long after turning out her light, she heard Sheldon's signature knock at her door. She looked at her clock and saw that it was 11:37. _What on earth is he doing here at this hour?_ she wondered. She got up to answer the door.

"Sheldon, what are you doing here?"

Sheldon looked at her and took a deep breath. "I have another proposed amendment to the Relationship Agreement." He handed her the sheet of paper. She took it and started to read the title. "_Second Amendment to Relationship Agreement: Cuddling."_

She looked up at him in confusion. "What brought this on?"

Sheldon cleared his throat. "Well…I gave the events of this evening some thought. I concluded that this was the best compromise for the situation."

Amy looked again at the document. "_It shall be within the rights of either the boyfriend or the girlfriend to request cuddling. Cuddling shall be defined as the girlfriend leaning against the boyfriend while in a seated position. During such a session the boyfriend shall wrap one or both arms around the girlfriend and the girlfriend shall have the right to lean her head against either the boyfriend's shoulder or chest. Hugging shall be considered a subset of cuddling and may also be requested by one or both parties. A verbal request shall be made should either party wish to initiate cuddling or a hug but no other form of advance notice shall be needed."_

Amy was nearly overwhelmed as she read the amendment. The thought that Sheldon had put so much thought into her feelings almost made her want to cry tears of joy. But she managed to contain herself. She looked up and smiled. "I agree. Where do I sign?" She invited Sheldon inside and motioned for him to sit down on the couch.

He pulled out his notary stamp and they both signed the new amendment. After both signatures were obtained, Sheldon told Amy he would get an updated copy of the Agreement to her by tomorrow afternoon. He then looked at his pocket watch and told her he had best get going, as Leonard was still waiting in the car.

Amy walked Sheldon to the door. "Sheldon?" He turned around and looked at her in askance. "I would like to request a goodbye hug."

Sheldon looked as if he was going to refuse at first, but then nodded and said "Of course." She walked over to him so that they stood about a foot apart. He held out his hands and she immediately stepped forward and wrapped both her arms around him. He paused for a second and then put both arms around her as well, slightly patting her on the back. She held on for a little longer than she intended, but found it hard to let go. Eventually she did let go and took a step back. She looked at Sheldon, who was standing a little awkwardly, and smiled.

"Thank you," she beamed at him.

Sheldon cleared his throat and gave her a little smile back. "You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I really must go home and go to sleep or I won't be able to get any work done tomorrow." And with that he turned around and walked out.

* * *

><p>Amy had a difficult time getting to sleep that night. She kept thinking about the events of the evening. She wasn't quite sure what had happened. After kissing Sheldon she felt sure that he had been repulsed. And perhaps he had. After all, the new amendment didn't address kissing. Penny had texted her that she had told Sheldon to talk with Amy, and yet there hadn't been much discussion.<p>

Amy wondered if she should broach the subject with Sheldon, to see how he felt. She knew he didn't like discussing his feelings, and to a large extent neither did she. Their relationship thus far had worked best when they only spoke of feelings when a problem arose. Sheldon had said that this amendment was a good compromise. Perhaps that was his round about way of telling Amy how he felt. Yes. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to discuss it with him, and the more likely it seemed that the amendment was his way of stating he was willing to move forward, but not in the realm of kissing.

Once she reached that conclusion, Amy felt her eyelids starting to droop. She was asleep almost immediately after that.

* * *

><p>Amy walked around in a cloud of happiness the next few days. When she had awoken the next day, she had texted Penny and Bernadette right away to share the news. They both shared her excitement.<p>

She tried not to make the request of Sheldon too often as she knew it wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, but she hoped that over time he would grow to enjoy cuddling as much as she did. She also decided to keep it to when it was just the two of them. Since it was such a new development she felt a little shy about it, although she continued to request hand holding, and would sometimes lean against his side while holding his hand.

Penny and Bernadette kept encouraging her to be more bold, but she wasn't sure. They argued that the best way to keep the relationship moving forward was to stretch Sheldon beyond his comfort level. Neither one seemed to understand that Amy was perfectly happy with the relationship at the moment. Did she still yearn to kiss Sheldon? Of course. But she was so happy at further physical contact that she didn't mind waiting…for now.

One evening, a few days before Howard and Bernadette's wedding, Amy decided to press her luck. She had grown more comfortable with asking Sheldon for hugs and cuddling and had noticed that he wasn't as stiff in his demeanor either. Perhaps now as the time to take the next small step.

Everyone was sitting around eating and talking. She wasn't holding Sheldon's hand because they both agreed it was difficult to eat and hold hands at the same time. After the meal was done, they all agreed to watch a movie together. After much quibbling it was decided that they would watch _Serenity_ as the guys argued that there was some romance in there and thus would fulfill the girls requirement that the movie not be entirely about aliens and/or blowing stuff up.

As Leonard was putting the movie in, Amy decided this would be her best opportunity. She turned towards Sheldon.

"I would like to request cuddling while watching the movie."

Leonard dropped the DVD on the floor and Raj started choking on his beer. Howard was looking at Sheldon and Amy with his mouth open and Penny and Bernadette were exchanging knowing smiles.

Sheldon glared at them all and then turned to Amy and cleared his throat. "Yes of course."

Amy smiled happily, tucked her legs underneath her and leaned against Sheldon's shoulder. He put his arm around her and they both faced the television. Out of the corner of her eye Amy could see that Howard was still staring open mouthed at the two of them, although Bernadette was hitting him on the arm to get him to look away. Leonard had cleared his throat and picked up the DVD off the floor, putting it in the player and walking back over to sit next to Penny.

Penny was smiling broadly at Amy and winked at her when Amy looked over. Amy smiled back and then turned her head up to smile at Sheldon. He didn't turn his head, but his eyes looked down towards her and he gave her faint smile before returning his eyes to the television and the beginning of the movie.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please remember to review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sheldon**

Sheldon couldn't get to sleep. It was maddening. Tomorrow was Howard and Bernadette's wedding and he didn't want to be standing up there yawning. The wedding was going to have over 300 guests and Sheldon didn't want to risk more mocking over his oddly shaped uvula.

He had hardly been surprised when Howard had asked him to be in the wedding. He claimed it was because he needed a 3rd groomsman since Bernadette's cousin was going to be in the wedding, but Sheldon knew the real reason. Howard just wanted to show off that he was friends with the brilliant Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon had agreed to help his tertiary friend.

And now here he was, unable to sleep. He tried thinking about his work; if he was going to be awake he might as well be useful. But it was no good, his mind kept wandering. He kept thinking about how the group was changing around him. He didn't like it. Today it was Howard and Bernadette getting married, tomorrow it could be Leonard moving to Nebraska with Penny to be a Physics teacher…no he didn't like this one bit. He had said as much to Amy one day, but she hadn't been very sympathetic. She said that change was the only thing a person could count on…well that, death and taxes.

He didn't like it when Amy disagreed with him. He stared at his ceiling and wondered whether Amy was asleep. Glancing at his bedside clock he saw that it was now 12:03 a.m. He knew that she preferred to stay awake well into the night, so the likelihood of her being awake was good. Perhaps he could Skype with her…but no. He really should get to sleep. If he Skyped with Amy then he would be up all night; they had a tendency to enter into lengthy discussions.

He thought back to the rehearsal dinner earlier that evening. Despite his reservations at eating at a foreign restaurant, the meal had been almost enjoyable. He had sat next to Amy of course. They had held hands under the table after they had eaten their respective meals. It had been Amy's request, naturally.

Without realizing it he found himself thinking about her appearance. She looked different tonight than she had on previous evenings. She had told him on a prior evening that she had purchased a new dress for the occasion. She had looked…softer than normal. And she had done her hair differently. Instead of one barrette she had pulled both sides back so that Sheldon could better see her ears. He didn't know that he liked the change. For one thing, every time he had looked at her he had felt a dropping sensation in his stomach. And just now he felt it again. He hoped he wasn't getting sick.

Just then Sheldon realized what he was thinking about. _Good Lord Dr. Cooper! Are you really staying awake thinking about clothes and barrettes? What has happened to you?_

He was determined to think about something else. Maybe if he mentally catalogued his train collection that would put him to sleep. If other people could count sheep then he could count trains.

It kept his mind busy for a little while, but eventually it drifted back to thinking about Amy. He thought about her appearance tonight and once again felt a drop in his stomach. Perhaps he had better check his temperature. He reached over to get his thermometer and stuck it in his mouth. When it beeped he looked at it. It said 98.6. Drat. Well then what was wrong with him?

He laid his head back on his pillow and looked at the clock. It was now 12:34 a.m. and he was no closer to getting to sleep. His insomnia and unusual stomach sensations were baffling him. Perhaps he should have Leonard drive him to Urgent Care.

He got out of bed and went to Leonard's bedroom.

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Leonard"

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Leonard"

_Knock Knock Knock _"Leonard"

"What do you want Sheldon," came Leonard's muffled response.

Sheldon opened the door. "I need you to take me to Urgent Care."

Leonard gave him a look of disbelief, grabbing his glasses and mashing them on his face. "What? Sheldon, you don't need to go to Urgent Care."

"Excuse me, but I beg to differ. I'm having some unusual symptoms and I think something could be really wrong."

Leonard gave an exasperated sigh. "What symptoms?"

"Well for one thing I can't sleep. And you know I can always sleep."

"Sheldon, insomnia is not a reason to go to Urgent care."

"Well what about the funny sensation I keep getting in my stomach?"

"Why do you keep getting a funny sensation in your stomach?"

"Leonard, if I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be asking you to drive me to Urgent Care now would I? Honestly, it's enough to make a person wonder if you really are the progeny of the brilliant Dr. Beverly Hofstadter."

Leonard laid his head back on his pillow and put an arm over his face. "Go back to bed Sheldon."

"No. You have to take me to Urgent Care Leonard. I could be dying. Do you really want that on your conscience?"

"You're not dying." Leonard lifted his arm off his face to look at Sheldon. "When did the symptoms start?"

"Well, the insomnia started this evening of course. And the dropping sensation in my stomach started at the rehearsal tonight."

Leonard gave Sheldon a look. "And when exactly did you first experience this sensation?"

"It was shortly after Amy arrived and said hello to me."

Leonard looked at the ceiling and sighed. "And can you give me any other examples?"

Sheldon thought for a moment. "Well, when the girls were practicing their walk down the aisle and Amy looked over at me…and then when she came over to ask if I would ride with her and Penny to the restaurant…I tell you Leonard, I'm at a loss to explain it. It makes no sense."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "It makes perfect sense Sheldon. Tell me, were you thinking about Amy tonight when you felt the sensation again?"

Sheldon thought. "Yes, now that you mention it, I was."

"Sheldon, you're not sick. You are attracted to Amy. Go to bed."

Sheldon did a double take. "Leonard that is ridiculous. What does attraction have to do with an upset stomach?"

"It has everything to do with it. It's what happens to us normal people when we see a person we are attracted to both physically and emotionally."

Sheldon thought for a second. He would have to do more research on this subject. Leonard's answer simply didn't make sense.

"Leonard, I don't think you're right."

"I don't care at the moment. I'm not driving you to Urgent Care. Go to bed." Leonard took his glasses back off and turned his back to Sheldon.

Sheldon went back to his bed thoroughly perplexed. Leonard thought the reason for Sheldon's insomnia and strange stomach sensations had to do with Amy? Sheldon felt his stomach drop again. Hmm…interesting.

He decided to try an experiment. He tried thinking about Penny. She was an attractive person and she was Sheldon's friend. He waited but nothing happened. He tried thinking about Bernadette. True she was about half his size, but she was also his friend, and she was a scientist, even better. Again nothing happened. Then Sheldon thought about Amy, her new dress, and her new hairstyle. His stomach dropped. Very curious indeed.

Maybe Leonard was right after all. There had to be a first time for everything. But how to process this information? Sheldon had for so long thought himself above his baser urges. And yet here he was reacting to a new dress and a couple of barrettes. Oh how the mighty fall…this did not sit well with him at all. Maybe the data was incorrect. He thought about Amy holding his hand under the table at dinner and not only did his stomach drop, but his heart skipped a beat.

He wondered if he should schedule an appointment with a cardiologist. A stomach issue was one thing, but arrhythmia was nothing to be cavalier about. Then again, he did recall reading a fictional story once where the heroine of the story described a flutter of her heart as she gazed at her true love. Perhaps that was what he was experiencing. Could his arrhythmia be a direct result of finding Amy attractive?

This was all very baffling. And now he was finally getting tired. He decided he would think more about this at a later time. He looked at the clock and saw that it was now 1:14 a.m. Tomorrow was sure to be an exhausting enough day without keeping himself awake longer than necessary the night before. Yes, he would think about this so called attraction later. Now he would go to sleep.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the nighttime musings of Dr. Cooper. Please remember to review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Amy**

Amy looked up from her book, distracted. She was having such a hard time concentrating. She was just too excited about tomorrow. She thought about attempting to Skype with Sheldon, but when she looked at the clock it was 12:03 and she realized he was most likely sleeping. She set the book aside, as she knew that she wasn't likely to ever concentrate long enough actually absorb what she was reading.

She couldn't believe the day was finally here. Tomorrow she was going to be a Maid of Honor! It was really happening. The only downside was not being able to wear her tiara. Penny had told her it would be tacky since Bernadette was wearing one as well. Amy sighed. Really Bernadette could be a little bit of a bridezilla. But oh well, there was nothing she could do about that. She would just have to wear it when she was Penny's maid of honor…and really that would be more special anyway.

Amy thought about the events of tomorrow. Bernadette had said that Amy would be required to participate in at least one dance, the one with the bridal party. Penny had said that normally you danced with the person you were paired up with at the wedding, which in this case was the best man, Raj.

Amy didn't _mind_ the thought of dancing with Raj, but she would really rather dance with Sheldon. The night of their first foray into dancing was a kind of hazy memory. She recalled Sheldon stating that he was an excellent dancer. She wondered if she could convince Raj to dance with Bernadette's cousin instead so that she and Sheldon could dance. After all, he _was_ her boyfriend.

Amy smiled at the thought. Without realizing it she started daydreaming about dancing with Sheldon. It turned into a very complicated daydream in which he challenged Raj to a duel for daring to dance with his girlfriend. When Amy finally snapped out of it she looked at the time. It was now 1:14 a.m. Normally she didn't mind staying up late into the night, but since tomorrow was such a big day, she thought perhaps she had best get to sleep. She didn't want to have dark circles under her eyes on her big day after all.

* * *

><p>"Oh Bernadette! This is so exciting!" Penny exclaimed. They had all just arrived at the salon to get their hair and makeup done. Bernadette had a huge smile on her face.<p>

"Oh I know! I couldn't sleep a wink last night! I can't believe that in a few short hours I'll be Mrs. Howard Wolowitz!" She gave a little squeak of excitement.

"Well, we're very happy for you, aren't we Ames?" Penny looked over at Amy, who was standing there with a smile on her face, enjoying the moment.

Amy beamed at Penny and Bernadette. "Yes. I'm very happy Bernadette." Amy saw Penny and Bernadette look at each other, smile, and roll their eyes.

Just then Bernadette's cousin Cynthia ran in looking frazzled. "Gosh! So sorry Bernie! I got stuck on the freeway. Apparently there was an accident on the freeway."

"Oh no problem Cindy, we only just got here ourselves." Bernadette turned to them and said with a big grin, "Well, ladies, shall we?"

When Amy sat down to have her hair done, the beautician introduced herself and asked Amy what she wanted done with her hair.

"Well," she replied, "normally I just wear it straight with a little clip, so I was thinking maybe we could do something like that. Perhaps you could use some fancy hair products to make is shinier and more sleek."

Just then Penny piped up from the next chair over. "Amy, you can't wear your hair the same as you always do! Live a little. It's Bernadette's Wedding…and you're the maid of honor!" She turned to the beautician. "How about some sexy curls for my girlie?"

"Oh Penny…I don't know. I've never worn my hair curly…what if it looks bad?"

"It's not going to look bad. Trust me, you'll look beautiful."

"Well…" Amy wasn't sure, but at the same time she trusted Penny to know more about such matters. She turned to the beautician a little uncertainly and said "Ok…we can do curly." Penny smiled happily and turned back to her own beautician to describe the complicated hairstyle she was hoping to achieve.

* * *

><p>When Amy looked at herself in the mirror after her makeup was complete she wasn't sure who she was looking at. She blinked several times rapidly, feeling a little uncomfortable. Her hair was now a mass of curls, with the sides pulled back. There were a couple tendrils of curled hair left hanging in front of her face, framing it. She had asked the beautician to make her eyes "dramatic" (a term she had read about in magazines), but now she wasn't sure how she felt about the look. The beautician had said she was giving Amy the "smoky eye" look. Penny had talked Amy into wearing contacts for the day, but Amy felt a little naked without her glasses on. She noticed that her eyes looked bigger and greener than normal. It was disconcerting. She looked at her lips. The beautician had used a shiny pink color that made Amy's lips look like she was pouting even though she wasn't.<p>

Just then Penny turned around and saw Amy staring at herself. "Amy! You look beautiful!" She turned to Bernadette, who was still having her hair completed. "Bernadette! Doesn't Amy look foxy?"

Bernadette looked in the mirror to see Amy. "Amy, you look so good! Oooo! Watch out Sheldon!" Amy beamed, blushing at the compliments.

"You look pretty too Bernadette." She turned to Penny, "And of course you look very fetching Penny."

Penny smiled. "Thanks Ames."

* * *

><p>After the hair salon they piled into Penny's car and headed to the hotel to change and take the pictures. When Amy put on her dress, she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe that it was really her looking back. The dress she was wearing was floor length, strapless, and had a heart shaped neckline. Amy had initially expressed concern about baring too much of her skin, so Bernadette had allowed her to buy a wrap to wear around her shoulders.<p>

"Amy, are you going to put on any jewelry?"

Amy looked over at Penny. "Oh. I forgot."

Penny smiled and replied "That's ok. I have an extra necklace and earrings you can wear."  
>Amy smiled back. "Ok." Wow. This was fantastic. She was going to exchange jewelry with Penny! Life really was good.<p>

Penny pulled out a delicate silver colored chain with a diamond on the end. "It's not real, but it looks cute right?"

Amy nodded. "Yes. I like it."

Penny dug around in her bag some more. "There are some matching earrings in here somewhere. Aha! Here they are." She held them up. They were simple teardrop diamond replicas. They dangled a little off her earlobe, but Amy was happy to see they weren't excessive.

Penny looked at Amy and smiled. "Amy you look so beautiful."

Amy beamed. "I kind of feel like a princess. And this is my special day." She looked off into the distance. "I'm a Maid of Honor."

Penny looked like she was trying not to smile. "Yep. You sure are Sweetie. Shall we go see if we can help Bernadette?"

"Yes, I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" They both walked over to Bernadette who was at the moment hyperventilating because her veil had a wrinkle in it. Cindy was on the phone, frantically trying to locate a steam iron. Amy suggested they turn on the shower to produce steam and see if that didn't fix the problem. Everyone looked relieved at the suggestion. _I really am a good Maid of Honor,_ thought Amy.

* * *

><p>The moment had finally arrived. It was time to walk down the aisle. Bernadette had gone from hyperventilating and anxious to calm and serene, but Amy was starting to get nervous. She didn't want to mess this up. All eyes would be on her. She hoped she didn't trip in her new heels. She had tried to find shoes with a low heel, so that her chances of twisting an ankle would be minimized.<p>

She grabbed her flowers and followed Penny and Cindy towards the doors of the sanctuary. She would walk down last before Bernadette, so she lined up behind them. She heard the music start. Bernadette gave a little squeal behind her. Amy turned back to smile at Bernadette, who, now that Amy really looked, was positively glowing with excitement underneath her veil.

The doors opened and Cindy started walking down the aisle. When she was half way down the aisle Penny started walking. Amy felt her breath starting to go faster. She was really nervous now. _Calm down Fowler. You don't want to faint on the way down there._

She took a deep breath and started her walk down the aisle. Everyone was looking towards her. She loved it. She put on a big smile and savored the moment. She almost closed her eyes, but remembered that she was being photographed and needed to keep her eyes open. When she was half way down the aisle she looked at Howard. He smiled faintly at her, but he was too busy trying to see behind her.

She looked over at Raj. His eyebrows were almost in his hairline. He gave her an approving look when he noticed her looking at him.

She looked at Leonard who also had his eyebrows raised and was nodding his head.

Lastly she looked at Sheldon. His expression was completely blank, but his mouth was open slightly. Amy wondered what he was thinking. Suddenly she felt a little self conscious. Maybe he didn't like the way she looked. She started to panic, so she quickly looked away and back at the front.

After she took her place, the music changed and Bernadette started walking down the aisle with her father. She was so happy looking that it really almost looked like she was glowing. Amy looked at Howard, who had a huge smile on his face. Then she looked over at Sheldon, who was not watching Bernadette or Howard, but was looking at Amy, still with a blank expression on his face, mouth still slightly open.

Amy tried to stay focused throughout the ceremony, but she couldn't help but notice that Sheldon never looked at Howard or Bernadette. Every time Amy looked over, he was looking at her.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading! This one gave me a hard time. I had issues with writer's block for a bit. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sheldon**

Sheldon stood throughout the wedding ceremony completely detached from the moment. He wasn't sure what was going on. He was experiencing symptoms similar to yesterday evening, except that they were markedly worse today. Aside from the funny swooping sensation in his stomach, he now had added shortness of breath, and tachycardia along with a more pronounced arrhythmia. He also found it strange that his legs were unstable and that he didn't seem to have mobility in his neck. He was completely unable to move his head away from looking at Amy.

He didn't quite know what had happened. He had been perfectly ok when Penny and Bernadette's cousin Cynthia had walked down the aisle. In fact, he had spent the time trying to work out a particularly tricky equation he had been working on. But then Amy had started walking down the aisle and he had felt the now familiar swooping sensation followed by tachycardia, shortness of breath, and an increase in perspiration.

He noticed Amy glancing at him every few minutes, but he still couldn't force his head to move. A nagging voice in his head kept reminding him of Leonard's assessment that Sheldon's problem was an attraction to Amy. As much as he was loath to admit it, he was beginning to think the assessment was correct. He went through other possible explanations for his symptoms, but he kept coming back to attraction.

This truly baffled him. He had for so long believed himself above such responses. He was fond of Amy and had even come to accept and appreciate the current parameters of their physical relationship. He had not given much thought to her appearance prior to the past few days, as he had always more been drawn to Amy's mind and companionship. He would even admit, however, to enjoying the romantic aspect of the relationship, and had recently discovered that he often looked forward to their date nights.

But her appearance? He supposed he appreciated her eyes. There was always an intelligence lurking behind them and he found their particular shade of green aesthetically pleasing. And, now that he thought of it, he did like her smile, especially if it was directed at him or his achievements. And he also found that he quite enjoyed her hair. Sometimes when they were sitting he would notice how the light refracted off of it.

He looked at her hair now. It was indeed very shiny. And curly. He had never seen Amy with curly hair before. Without realizing it, his eyes started following the curl that framed her face, from her hairline curling down to her chin. He found himself imagining twirling the curl around his finger.

Then he realized what he was thinking about and gave himself a mental shake. Had he really just been thinking about twirling Amy's hair around his finger? He tried to look away again, but found that he still did not have full use of his neck muscles.

He thought about his assessment last night that Amy had looked softer than normal and compared it with her current appearance. If she had looked soft last night, he didn't know what to call this. He had never paid attention to the shape of her body before, but couldn't help but notice that the dress she was wearing accentuated the more feminine aspects of her body. He felt his tachycardia return.

When he glanced up to her face, he discovered Amy was looking at him. He froze, a little disconcerted to be caught staring at an area other than her face. All he could do was blink at her. He noticed her eyes looked different. Without her glasses and with the presence of makeup they looked larger and, even at this distance, he could see that they appear to be a brighter shade of green than normal. She turned back to look at the front.

Sheldon didn't know what to do. This was an entirely new feeling for him and he wasn't sure how to respond to it, internally or externally. One thing was certain, if this was what attraction was, then he didn't like it. Thus far the only things it had produced were the desire to faint, use an inhaler, and/or get an EKG.

Sheldon noticed movement and realized the ceremony was over. He watched Amy walk down the aisle on the arm of Raj and again found himself staring at the curls down her back as she walked away. Then, as Leonard and Penny walked down together, he lost sight of Amy and realized that he was now left to walk down the aisle with Cynthia. He was relieved to discover that his legs were functioning.

* * *

><p>Sheldon sat down at his assigned seat at the reception. Amy was seated next to him and he had yet to say anything to her. He kept looking at her, and would attempt to open his mouth, but could only manage to blink at her before turning away and taking a drink of water.<p>

Amy had walked up to him while the photos of Howard and Bernadette were being taken and had smiled and said "Hello". He had also attempted to speak at that time, but had still found that the only thing he could do was blink at her. He had noticed again just how large and green her eyes were without her glasses. When he had realized that he would be unable to respond, he had quickly turned around and went to speak with Leonard.

Now that she was sitting right beside him, he was even more uncomfortable. He kept glancing over at her quickly before returning his eyes to his water glass. He felt his tachycardia returning yet again.

Amy cleared her throat. "Sheldon…is something the matter? Are you feeling alright?"

He looked over at her. Her eyes were very large and he noticed the concern in them. He slowly shook his head, still unable to vocalize. He cleared his throat and turned back to his water glass yet again. Now that he thought of it, he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to vocalize his feelings. For one thing, he was still confused about what they were. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raj, Leonard, and Penny watching him.

He turned back to Amy again, but she was looking down. Yet again he found himself wishing to curl her hair around his finger. He was taking note of the quick rise and fall of her chest when suddenly she got up.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go freshen up." She walked away without looking at Sheldon, but he saw her blinking rapidly.

He heard Penny say "Talk to him. I'm going to go make sure Amy's ok."

Leonard started to protest, but Penny was already walking away. Sheldon saw him turn to look at him. "Sheldon, what is the hell's the matter with you?"

Sheldon took a deep breath. "Leonard, I find myself in unfamiliar territory…" He didn't quite know where to begin. Leonard and Raj were staring at him and he didn't like having to admit ignorance in front of Raj.

Leonard looked at him with a curious expression on his face. "Tell me. Are you experiencing any of the same symptoms you were experiencing last night?"

"Yes. Only now they're worse." Sheldon felt his tongue loosen. He was now on familiar territory. He could discuss symptoms.

"How so? Explain them to me."

"Well, the swooping sensation in my stomach is the same, but now I am feeling a very pronounced tachycardia, arrhythmia, and shortness of breath. Additionally at various points this evening I have felt faint, with a weakness in my lower extremities."

"Dude, it sounds like you've fallen hard for Amy's new look," Raj piped up.

Sheldon gave him a look. "I believe Leonard and I were talking, thank you."

"Sheldon…Raj is right. It sounds like what you're experiencing is the normal chemical response associated with attraction to the object of one's affection."

"Leonard…" Sheldon thought about his next response. "…I think you might be right."

"I am?" Leonard looked taken aback. "I mean, yes, of course."

Sheldon thought about his next question carefully. "So…what do I do?"

Just then Penny walked up. "I'll tell you what you do. You go over to Amy and explain to her what your deal is. She is in the bathroom trying not to cry."

"Crying?" Oh dear. Sheldon didn't like weeping women at all. "Penny, why can't you fix it for me? She's your friend. Tell her…tell her whatever will keep her from crying."

"Sheldon, I can't fix it for you. You have to talk to her."

"Leonard?" Sheldon looked over at Leonard, hopeful that he would be on his side.

"Sorry Sheldon, but she's right. You have to talk to her."

Sheldon sighed. "Fine."

He got up and walked over towards the bathroom, trying to figure out just what he was going to say.

As he arrived at the bathroom, contemplating how he was going to reach Amy in the women's restroom, the door opened and she stepped out. She looked surprised and then uncomfortable.

"Sheldon, why are you standing outside the women's restroom."

He was starting to feel light headed again, but willed his body to calm down. He cleared his throat. "I…came to see if you were alright."

She shuffled and looked down at the floor. "Yes. I'm fine."

They both stood uncomfortably. Amy continued looking at the floor and Sheldon contemplated his next words. He had a peculiar feeling he knew why Amy was upset this time, but it made him uncomfortable. Well…one thing he had learned in this relationship endeavor was that it was usually up to him to make Amy feel better. He just wished there was a way to do so without verbalizing feelings. It made him feel like a hippie.

He cleared his throat. "Amy…you look very pretty."

She looked up surprised. "I do?" A smile came to her face.

He cleared his throat again. "Yes."

"Sheldon…can I give you a hug?"

"Yes."

As she hugged him, he took the opportunity to touch her curls, hoping she didn't notice. He decided he liked her hair curly.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! And don't worry...this reception is by no means over :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Amy**

As Amy and Sheldon walked back to their chairs, Amy felt like she was floating. Sheldon thought she was pretty. She had been disconcerted by his refusal to talk with her and had been certain it was because she looked differently than normal. She knew he disliked change.

Now that she thought of it, this was the first time a boy had ever said she was pretty. She looked over at Sheldon as they both sat down and beamed at him. He looked everywhere but at her before giving her a tiny smile. Penny raised her eyebrows at Amy and smiled.

Amy decided to break the awkward tension at the table. "So Leonard, Penny tells me that your work is going well. Tell me about that."

Everyone around the table let out a breath as Leonard started talking about his work. Sheldon looked bored and ate his salad in silence, excepting the occasional snort in Leonard's direction.

After Leonard finished explaining his work Amy turned to Sheldon. "Sheldon, it's been awhile since our last _Fun With Flags_ webcast. I have had a few ideas."

He perked up and smiled at her. "Oh, you _do_ have some truly inspired ideas. Please, go on."

"Well, what if we did a piece on the oldest flags and then another on the newest. Especially since the newest flag is not even a year old yet. I was looking up trivia the other day and discovered that the newest country is the Republic of South Sudan. Perhaps we could gather information on the formation of their flag and have Ferdinand T. Flag present the information."

"Amy, what a brilliant idea!" Amy could see the wheels start turning in his mind. They spent the remainder of the meal discussing possible new topics for the webcast. Amy was happy that they were talking to each other normally. She didn't like feeling uncomfortable around Sheldon.

After the meal was over, it was time for Howard and Bernadette's first dance. Amy watched them with a grin on her face. They looked so happy and she was happy for them. She looked over at Sheldon and was a little startled to see that he was looking at her rather than the couple on the floor. He immediately looked away and started watching Howard and Bernadette. _That was very curious_, Amy thought.

As the song ended Howard sent Bernadette out in a spin and then dipped her. Amy clapped along with the other guests and then realized that it was time for the bridal party dance. She hadn't talked with Sheldon or Raj ahead of time about it, so she supposed that she would just dance with Raj.

She stood up and turned to Raj, who had his arm out, ready to lead her to the dance floor, when she felt someone grab her hand. She turned around and discovered it was Sheldon.

"Raj, you can dance with Cynthia. I will be dancing with Amy."

Without waiting for a response he turned and started pulling Amy towards the dance floor. When he reached the center of it, he immediately put his hand on her waist and grabbed her other hand. The music started playing a song set to waltz beat. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Sheldon, I was supposed to dance with Raj."

"Nonsense. You're my girlfriend and we're both in the bridal party. Why shouldn't we dance together?"

Amy had no answer for that. "I thought you hated dancing."

"I do." He had started twirling her around to the waltz beat and she discovered that he was a very good lead. Apparently he had excelled at his cotillion training just like everything else. She again tried to remember the last time they had danced, but it was still a hazy memory.

Just then Raj and Cynthia danced by, almost running in to them. Sheldon pulled Amy against his chest to avoid either of them being hit and glared at Raj. Amy expected him to let her go back to her original position, but he continued his expert dancing with her alarmingly close. She had nowhere to look except up at his face, as she was so close that her only other options were to stare straight into his chest or lay her head against it.

When she looked up, he was looking down at her, an unreadable expression on his face. She lifted the corners of her mouth into a small smile. He blinked and returned the smile with one equally as small. She noticed a new expression in his eyes, but had no idea what it could be. She felt her heart rate increase and wondered if he could feel it. As they danced, she saw his eyes dart down to her lips and felt her breath catch. He looked back at her eyes then and twirled her out and then back into a dip as the song had ended.

They held the position for a moment longer than they should have, and then Sheldon pulled her upright. Amy realized that the next song had started and they were still standing there. It wasn't a waltz, but was still a slow song.

"Thank you for the dance Sheldon."

"You're welcome."

She started to turn to walk away but Sheldon pulled her hand. She turned back and gave him a curious look.

"I would like to keep dancing with you." Sheldon put his hand back on her waist and pulled her close again. "If that's alright."

Amy answered a little hoarsely, "Yes."

He started moving across the dance floor again, and Amy was yet again impressed by his dancing abilities. He held her slightly further apart than at the end of their last dance, but he was still very close. When she snuck a glance upwards, she saw that he was looking down at her again. She noticed he was breathing faster than normal, as was she, but she quickly attributed it to the dancing.

She thought about trying to start a conversation, but realized it would be difficult given their extreme proximity. Instead she decided to boldly look at him. He held her gaze and they simply stared at each other throughout the dance. When it was over, a faster song started, so Sheldon removed his hand from her waist, but held on to her other hand as they walked back to the tables.

When they sat down, everyone at the table was looking at them in shock. Raj's mouth was open and Penny's eyes were wide. Leonard was looking at Sheldon like he had never seen him before. Amy smirked at Sheldon, who was glaring at Leonard, and then looked at Penny and winked. Penny laughed and turned to ask Leonard to dance.

**A/N: Thanks yet again for reading. I know this is short, but I want to switch back to Sheldon's POV. There is yet a little more of this reception to go. ;) Please review! If you don't review then I'll think you didn't like it, throw my arms over my eyes in dramatic despair and quit writing. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sheldon**

Sheldon wasn't sure what was happening to him. In less than twenty-four hours he seemed to have lost control of his baser urges. No amount of Kolinahr implementation seemed to make a difference.

Every time he had looked at Amy over dinner and throughout their conversation his arrhythmia had returned and he had again found himself with the urge to touch her hair. He had even found himself looking at her lips on several occasions, remembering the evening she had kissed him. It was maddening.

When Amy had stood up and turned to Raj for the dance, Sheldon had felt a sensation he supposed other lesser people might call jealousy. Before he had given proper thought to his actions, he had grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her to the dance floor. Rather than admit that his actions had been acted on impulse, he had told Amy that he thought it was completely reasonable that they should be dancing together. And it was of course.

Throughout the first part of the dance he had again tried to work on repressing his emotions. He refused to think about the fact that Amy was so close. And really it was ridiculous. Thanks to Amy, they cuddled on a regular basis. It was hardly the first time he had been close to her. Despite his good intentions to repress any and all feelings, complete the dance, and move on with his life, his eyes had continually been drawn in the downward direction of Amy. What sorcery had she employed to make him respond this way? It was Penny's fault he had decided. He could not see Amy doing this to herself of her own volition. She was too practical. And that's how Sheldon liked Amy. Practical. He determined he would talk to Penny about this, as it was her fault that he was feeling attracted to Amy. Yes. And then he had gone back to pretending such emotions didn't exist within his mind.

Then Raj and Cynthia had blundered by and he had been forced to draw Amy against his body to avoid an unsightly dancing crash. Of course he had intended to let her go back to her original dancing position, but instead his arms had locked. He had been keenly aware that she was pressed up against him. Yet again he had reminded himself that it was hardly the first time. But a niggling voice in his head had recalled that it was usually the side of Amy or the back of Amy that was touching him, never the…curvy parts in front. This was all Raj's fault of course. He would have to have a talk with him about this.

He had looked down at Amy, who had looked up at him a moment later, and he had felt yet another increase in his tachycardia, arrhythmia, shortness of breath. They had continued dancing and Sheldon had continued ruing Penny and Raj for putting him in this position. And then the strangest thing had happened. He had realized that he was looking at Amy's lips and yet again thinking about her kiss some weeks before. Luckily at that point the song had reached its end so he had sent Amy out in a spin and then had dipped her. He hadn't been sure what possessed him to dip her, but in the dip he had momentarily forgotten his anger, while looking into her eyes. Then he had quickly remembered where he was and had brought Amy upright.

She had started to move back towards their table, but again before Sheldon quite knew what he was doing he had pulled her back close for another dance. During this dance she had looked straight at him the entire time. He had refused to show weakness (not that he had been feeling any of course) and had returned her stare for the entirety of the dance. By the end he had found himself quite breathless, but had deduced that it was due to the physical exertion.

And now, here he was, in Amy's apartment. How did he get here? What had possessed him to agree to come inside, when what he _should_ be doing is going home with Leonard and going to bed. He had found the entire day extremely taxing. He wondered how people like Penny could handle the exhaustion of letting your emotions rule you.

And yet, here he was, not riding home with Leonard, but standing awkwardly next to the couch. Amy had gone into her bedroom to change out of her dress. He hoped that when she returned she would look like her old self again.

When she walked back, he saw that, while she had indeed taken out her contacts and changed into her pajamas, that she had left her hair and makeup. He felt his stomach drop at the sight of her. Curses. He could not figure out why his Kolinahr was failing him.

"Sheldon, would you like a beverage?"

"Yes please. Water will be fine."

Amy looked at him standing there and said "Sheldon, why are you standing there?"

"Because…I was worried about wrinkling my jacket…"

Amy raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why don't you just take it off?"

"Oh…yes…of course." Sheldon removed his jacket, put it over the back of a chair, and sat down on the edge of the couch.

Amy brought him his water and sat down next to him. "Sheldon?" He looked at her. "Do you mind if we cuddle?"

_Yes, _he thought. But according to the Relationship Agreement he was essentially obligated to say "No." He really should adapt that so that it was easier to decline. What had he been thinking?

He leaned back against couch and Amy curled up against him and closed her eyes. He felt trapped. No. He did not like this at all. He was determined to make an appointment with his cardiologist. The shear amount of tachycardia he has been presenting with cannot be normal, attraction or no.

He looked down at Amy's head with a frown, irritated at being put in such a position by a female, even if she was brilliant. But his thoughts were momentarily displaced when he found his hand reaching up slowly to wind one of her curls around his finger. It was a fascinating feeling. Her hair was very soft, even with the layer of polymers keeping the curls in place. He felt Amy stiffen and froze himself.

She turned her head up to look at him in confusion.

"Are you twirling my hair with your fingers?"

This was all Penny's fault. And Amy's. How could she let herself be coerced? How could she let Penny talk her into curls, and eye makeup that made her eyes look bigger and greener, and pink shiny liquid on her lips. It was _their_ fault that Sheldon was staring at Amy's lips. _Not_ his fault.

"Sheldon?" Amy's lips parted as she inhaled and Sheldon felt his stomach do, what can only be described as, summersaults. He couldn't take his eyes off her lips. His mind blanked.

Before he realized what he was doing, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against her shiny pink ones. He felt Amy stiffen and he broke off the kiss, pulling his head back sharply.

Dear Lord, what had possessed him to do that? He looked at Amy, who had her eyes opened wide in shock. He looked forward, unsure how to proceed. Amy sat up and he could see her looking at him from the corner of his eye.

"Sheldon…why did you do that?"

He looked over at her, unsure how to respond. His mind had blanked on him again. What was _wrong_ with him? Was this how stupid people felt all day? He was beginning to feel some compassion towards them…only temporary he was sure.

"Sheldon…? Answer the question."

He thought about lying, but couldn't come up with a viable excuse. And anyway, he was no good at lying. He thought about telling the truth. He didn't want to tell Amy the truth. He didn't want to tell _himself_ the truth. Maybe if he pretended the truth didn't exist, it would go away.

But Amy was still waiting for an answer. No. He decided he wasn't going to answer, and turned back to face the front again.

"Sheldon!"

Sheldon looked over at her. She was frowning. Why was she frowning?

"Why did you do that? Why did you kiss me? I want an answer."

He felt backed into a corner. He hated when Amy did that. He thought through his options again, and ultimately came to the unfortunate conclusion that he would have to answer her question.

He cleared his throat. "Because I wanted to."

"You wanted to kiss me?" Amy had a look of shock on her face.

He looked at her sharply. "Don't make me say it again."

Amy was now the one to turn to the front. She sat there a few moments and Sheldon watched her, still mesmerized by her hair. No, not mesmerized. "Mesmerized" is a term that only romantic fools use. He merely found the particular pattern created by the bonding of the sulfur atoms in Amy's hair interesting.

He was a little startled when she turned back abruptly.

"Sheldon. I want to ask you something."

He eyed her wearily. "Yes?"

"Would you kiss me again?"

He wanted to say, _No absolutely not. I will never again kiss you, because the first time was an accident caused by my apparent lack of discipline in the area of emotion control_. But what he said instead was "Ok." Why had he said ok? And why was he now once again staring at her lips?

They sat there for a moment, neither one sure what move to make next. Amy first moved closer to him. He merely looked at her eyes. And that stupid curl down the side of her face. He hated that curl. That curl was the cause of all this. If that curl hadn't been there, he would never have been put in this position.

He felt his hand reach out to touch the offending curl. Then his hand cupped Amy's cheek. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open slightly, due to her increased respiratory rate. Come to think of it, _his_ respiratory rate was also greatly increased. His other hand came up to cup the other cheek. Having only one hand on her cheek had felt asymmetrical. And having both hands on Amy's face made him feel as if he had some measure of control.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Sheldon once again found himself staring at her lips, listening to her breath in and out. And also once again, before he knew what was happening, he was pressing his lips against hers. It was, now that he really thought about it, a truly fascinating experience. He found himself enjoying the softness of her lips against his. He was again the one who broke the kiss, but this time he pulled back slowly, opening his eyes equally as slowly.

He dropped his hands from Amy's face and sat back. She still had her eyes closed. Why were her eyes still closed? After a few moments she opened her eyes to look at Sheldon. It made him uncomfortable, the way she smiled at him.

Neither one said anything and eventually Amy settled back down to cuddle, all the while smiling. Sheldon, on the other hand, was thoroughly confused. This time it was his own actions that were confusing him. Since Amy seemed content to keep their silence, he had time to think.

Just what was happening to him? He had kissed Amy Farrah Fowler…twice…of his own volition! And he wasn't repulsed. In fact, it only now occurred to him that he would need to disinfect his mouth. But even that thought didn't bother him. What was happening to him? It was baffling. He wasn't sure he wanted to ponder it right now. It was too much to think about. He was tired. He would think about the repercussions and how to deal with them tomorrow.

He glanced down at Amy and realized she was asleep. He sighed. Now he would have to stay at Amy's tonight. He supposed he could wake her up, but he was loath to do so. He slowly extracted himself from underneath her, got her a pillow and blanket, and tucked her in. He would sleep in her bed. It was the least she could do after completely ruining his carefully structured life.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading! Please review! I do this purely for the pleasure of the ego boost I get when you review. If you wish me to continue the story then please let me know, or I will start assuming that the 24 people who are on my story alerts are there reading for the purpose of laughing at me and my stupid story. ;) (I'm only mostly kidding.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thank you guys very much for the reviews. I received nearly twice the normal amount. Bravo. Consider my ego sufficiently boosted.**

**Amy**

Amy looked over at Sheldon. They were on a date at a new restaurant, and as a result Sheldon was questioning the already hassled-looking waitress his usual inquiries regarding sanitation, room and cooking temperatures, and what it was that made the special, special. It had not been Amy's idea to go to a new restaurant. Sheldon had informed her, on their way there, that Penny had vehemently declared an anniversary was a special occasion and that it was a non-optional social convention to eat dinner at a "fancy" restaurant.

She knew this could take awhile and therefore chose to use the time for reflection. It was difficult to believe that it was already a year ago that Sheldon had invaded her date with Stuart to request she be his girlfriend. What was even more difficult to believe was how far she and Sheldon had come.

When she had received and signed the initial Relationship Agreement, she had somewhat resigned herself to a life with minimal to no physical contact. And now, a short (and yet long) year later, here they were, three amendments later, regularly engaging in physical contact. Nothing over the top of course. Despite Amy's repeatedly bringing up the subject of potential future coitus, Sheldon maintains that he is adamantly against such a thing.

But Amy wasn't losing hope. If one Sheldon Cooper could kiss her of his own initiative, then she was certain that there was hope for coitus. Amy smiled down at her menu as she recalled the events following that evening…

* * *

><p>Amy woke up when she fell onto the floor. She felt completely discombobulated. She looked around in the dark and realized she had been asleep on the couch. Why was she sleeping on her couch? And why did her eyes feel as if she had sand in them?<p>

She shook her head to help clear it and then sat upright as she remembered; Sheldon had kissed her last night! Twice! She smiled and her heart started beating faster. Yesterday had certainly been an interesting day. And also a bit of a whirlwind. Sheldon had said she was pretty, and then those two dances…her heart rate increased even more. And then he had kissed her.

She wondered what would happen when she talked to him tomorrow. She supposed she must have fallen asleep and he had found his own way home. She would have to call him in the morning. They both hated to talk about feelings, but in this case Amy felt that it was probably best to tackle the proverbial elephant in the room as soon as possible. Knowing Sheldon he would be likely to pretend the entire episode hadn't existed. Well…she wasn't going to let him.

She yawned and then remembered why her eyes felt full of sand. She hadn't taken off her overwhelming amount makeup. She put a hand to her hair, which felt like a tangled mess. She supposed she should just take a shower before going back to bed.

She got up and walked through her apartment in the dark. She didn't feel like turning on any lights. When she got to her room she grabbed some undergarments and walked into the bathroom. She had a nightlight in there and decided that would be sufficient light.

Her shower took longer than normal. She wasn't used to having to spend so much time shampooing her hair and washing her face. She was so sleepy that she thought at one point she might have dozed off under the spray. She had come to and she realized she had no idea just how long she had been standing under the water. She checked to make sure that her hair was rinsed out and then decided a more thorough shower could be taken in the morning.

She dried her hair and ran a comb through it, put her clothes back on and then headed for her bed. It wasn't until she was just about to climb into it that she realized there was already someone there. She blinked confused. Was that Sheldon? Why was he in her bed? And why did he sleep like a vampire in a coffin?

"Sheldon?"

He sat bolt upright and shouted "Danger! Danger!"

He looked over at her. "Amy? Why are you in here?"

"Why am I in here? Why are _you_ in here? I thought you went home."

"And how exactly would I have gotten there? You had fallen asleep so I decided to leave you on the couch and sleep in your bed."

Amy shrugged apathetically and started to climb into the bed. Sheldon jerked the covers back down.

"Excuse me! Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm attempting to go to sleep. In my bed."

Sheldon looked at Amy as if she had lost her mind. "But I'm already in here."

"So." Amy was too tired for this.

"_So_," Sheldon went on, exasperated, "we can't both be in the bed."

"Why not?"

Sheldon scoffed. "Why not? _Why not_? I'll tell you why not." He thought for a moment, looking around. He was in the middle of the bed. "There's no room."

"There would be room if you moved over to one side."

Sheldon's lips thinned. "I…can't. The lumbar support is not adequate on either side of the bed. Only in the very middle did I find it acceptable."

Amy shrugged. "Fine. Then go sleep on the couch."

Sheldon looked affronted. "Go sleep on the couch? But I am already sleeping in the bed."

Amy sighed. "Sheldon, I would like to go to sleep now. In my bed. I welcome your presence in it, but if it is too indecent for you then by all means, feel free to seek slumber elsewhere."

Sheldon narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Fine." He begrudgingly started scooting over but as Amy started to slide into bed he turned to her sharply, holding up his index finger. "There will be no cuddling, hand holding, or…_kissing_ of any kind! This will in no way become a custom and indeed shall not ever be repeated in the future. We are going to sleep and that is _it_."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "What else would we be doing?"

Sheldon cleared his throat. "Nothing. That's why I said it."

"Fine."

"Fine." Sheldon turned away abruptly, hoisting the covers up to his chin.

Amy had rolled onto her side, facing away from Sheldon, and smiled before falling back to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, Sheldon was already out of the bed. She sat up groggily and looked at the time. It was already well past 9:00. She walked into her living room. Sheldon was in the kitchen, and he looked to be preparing breakfast. Amy frowned in confusion.

When Sheldon looked over and saw her, he smiled. "Good morning Amy. I have made us scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. You woke up just in time. Would you prefer orange juice to drink? Water? Hot tea?"

Amy blinked at him, still confused. This was a switch from the surly Sheldon she had encountered in the middle of the night. "Sheldon…you made breakfast?"

"Yes."

"…Why?" Maybe she was still sleeping.

"We need to eat don't we?"

"Yes…I suppose we do." She sat down on her couch as he carried over their plates. He set them down and then brought back the beverages. As he sat down, she eyed him suspiciously. Something strange was going on here. As much as Amy would like to think that Sheldon was just being a loving boyfriend, previous dealings with Dr. Cooper made her feel otherwise. She recalled the story Sheldon told her about when Leonard refused to take him to Switzerland to see the CERN supercollider. She recalled one of the tactics he employed was breakfast in bed.

"Sheldon, what's really going on?"

He gave her an innocent look. "I don't know what you mean?" He picked up the plate of toast. "Toast?"

She gave him a look. "Sheldon."

He set down the plate and sighed. "Fine." He turned to face her. "I wished to speak to you about our…interactions last night."

She raised her eyebrows. "Continue."

Sheldon cleared his throat. "When we agreed to alter the paradigm of our relationship it was with the caveat that nothing changes. However, in the ensuing months I have found myself in situations that necessitated the challenging of certain areas of our agreement. I have, admittedly, been the instigator of the written changes, but it is my belief that it is due to the liberties that you yourself have taken with regards to the agreement that has made such changes necessary. I have done my best to meet your requests, but after the events of last night, I believe that an establishment of a status quo should be stated and that we should agree from this point forward to adhere to the rules of the agreement."

Amy blinked. "You mean you blame me for defying the Relationship Agreement, as well as your desire to kiss me and you don't want to add kissing as an acceptable display of affection to the Relationship Agreement?"

Sheldon looked relieved. "Precisely."

"I decline your terms."

Sheldon looked shocked. "What do you mean you decline the terms? I haven't stated them yet."

"But they will include a clause prohibiting any other forms of physical contact beyond hand holding, hugging, and cuddling correct?"

"Of course."

"Then I reject your terms."

"Now Amy…"

"Sheldon." She turned towards him. "I appreciate that the events of last night were under unusual circumstances. I did not appear my normal self yesterday. That said, whether you wish to believe it or not, it was your own desire that led you to kiss me. I was not breaching any of the terms of the Relationship Agreement by putting on makeup, wearing contacts, or curling my hair. And I was within my rights to ask to cuddle you at the end of the evening. It was your own actions which precipitated the event."

Sheldon looked ready to protest but Amy held up her hand.

"It was you who decided to appropriate me from my rightful partner to dance in the bridal party dance. It was you who refused to let me reassume my twelve inch distance from you after Raj and Cynthia nearly bumped into us. It was you who asked for a second dance and held me uncommonly close. It was you who decided to come upstairs to my apartment rather than go home with Leonard. And lastly, of course, it was you who initiated the first kiss." Amy looked at him, trying not to show her inner happiness at having bested him in his game of wits.

Sheldon narrowed his eyes, undoubtedly building his defense. "Yes. Well. _You_ were the one who asked me to kiss you a second time."

"A request that you could have denied."

His lips thinned. Along with his narrowed eyes, Amy thought he looked ready to spontaneously combust. She swallowed the urge to smile and maintained a steady gaze at him.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. What do you propose?"

"I propose a further amendment allowing for kissing." He looked ready to object and she yet again held up her hand. "Such an amendment would of course have clearly defined regulations regarding frequency, necessity, and an option to decline if a person could give clearly defined reasons for the desire to abstain."

Sheldon considered for a moment before sighing and responding with "Fine. I agree to those terms. I'll draw up the preliminary paper work this afternoon."

Amy smiled. This was quite a victory…

* * *

><p>"Amy?"<p>

Amy was snapped out of her reverie. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to order?"

"Oh yes. Of course. I didn't realize you were done putting in your order." Sheldon gave her a strange look. She cleared her throat and ordered the salmon.

After the waitress was gone, they resumed discussing their day. Amy noticed Sheldon seemed preoccupied. She wondered if he was worrying about the implications of an anniversary dinner. Since that morning all those months ago neither one had felt the need to change the Relationship Agreement. Thus far, the amendments had been working for both parties.

Perhaps he was worried that she would make a request for further intimacy. It had of course crossed her mind, and was indeed something she enjoyed thinking about. She had indeed made several attempts at suggesting coitus, but in actuality she found that she was enjoying the current parameters of their relationship. She had even been able to persuade Sheldon to give French kissing a try once. It hadn't gone quite as expected, as neither of them fully understood how to employ it. But nevertheless, they had both found the experiment informative, and Amy was certain they would give it another shot in the future.

She was snapped out of her musings when Sheldon abruptly changed the subject from his current research. His descriptions had taken up the majority of dinner and they were now at dessert. She had gotten used to listening and thinking at the same time. It had been a necessary skill to develop, as Sheldon liked to talk for extended periods of time.

"Amy. I have a proposition I wish to pose to you."

Amy cocked her head to the side, curious. "Go on."

He set down his fork, and folded his hands on the table. "I would like to request your hand in marriage."

**A/N:** **I know right? You answered my plea for reviews and I repay you with a cliffhanger. Alas, it seemed the best way to end this particular chapter. If you want to know what happens, you know what to do: Review Review Review! :) Any guesses on Sheldon's motivating factors?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** **Thank you all again for the reviews. I really enjoyed hearing your guesses for Sheldon's motivators (although no one quite guessed the truth). Believe me your reviews are much appreciated and I have been working very hard to get this next chapter out. Enjoy!**

**Sheldon**

"Sheldon, I need to talk to you."

Sheldon looked up from his computer to find Leonard awkwardly playing with his hands and looking uncomfortable.

"Alright." He turned around in his desk chair to face him.

"Um…maybe it would be best if you came and sat in your spot."

_Odd_, thought Sheldon. He shrugged. "Ok."

He walked over to his spot and sat down, Leonard taking a seat in the chair next to him. Sheldon waited for him to start talking, but Leonard was looking down and playing with his hands again.

"I assume you had more to say to me than the conversation we have already had."

Leonard cleared his throat. "Yes."

Sheldon waited, his patience thinning with each passing moment. Didn't Leonard realize that he had been working on a paper he was trying to get published? "Leonard. I don't mean to seem impatient, but I have other things I could be doing. Whatever it is, please feel free to spit it out at your earliest convenience. Unless of course your earliest convenience isn't right after I stop talking, in which case, please start talking after I stop talking."

Leonard again cleared his throat and looked up. "Penny and I are moving in together."

Sheldon frowned. "This is most unfortunate Leonard. You know Penny is my friend, but I don't think she will work as a roommate. Unless of course you believe that you will be able to pick up the slack that she will inevitably leave behind and therefore be able to continue to adhere to the Roommate Agreement. It will be up to you to see that the apartment vacuuming is increased to three times per week." He sighed. "And now I will have to start working on the new bathroom schedule and we will have to clean out the refrigerator so that all the communal items will fit on the door. Would you prefer the top, middle or bottom shelf? I would prefer the top one, as I am the tallest and detest having to bend over so…"

"Sheldon!" Leonard closed his eyes and put his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes, he took a breath and said, "Penny is not moving in here."

Sheldon was confused. "But you said that you were moving in together."

"We are…but not here. I'm moving over to Penny's apartment with her."

Sheldon blinked. Leonard was moving out? But Sheldon didn't want Leonard to move out. He liked living with Leonard. And things would change. He hated change. Leonard can't move out. He looked at Leonard. "You can't move out."

Leonard raised his eyebrows. "Yes I can Sheldon."

Sheldon shook his head. "If you move out, who will be my roommate?

"You'll find someone else to be your roommate."

"But I don't want to find someone else to be my roommate. You're my roommate."

Leonard gave Sheldon a look Sheldon didn't understand. "Sheldon, I understand that I am your roommate and that we are friends, but my moving out won't change our friendship."

Sheldon scoffed. "How can you say that? Of course it'll change our friendship. I'll never see you."

"Never see me? I'll be right across the hall Sheldon. I can even still take you to work."

"But how can I know you'll do it? The only guarantee I have now is because of the obligation stated in the Roommate Agreement."

Leonard sighed. "Sheldon, I don't just take you to work because of the Roommate Agreement." He gave Sheldon that look again. He wondered what emotion it was. He was having the darnedest time placing it. "I take you to work because we're friends Sheldon. And as I said before, my moving won't change that."

Sheldon didn't know how to respond.

"Penny and I have been talking about it for a few weeks now, but neither of us wanted to tell you until we knew for sure that it was happening. But it's happening. I'm moving in with Penny. We agreed that since I've paid rent through the end of the month, I'll move out at the end of the month. That'll give you a couple of weeks to locate another roommate…or decide to live alone."

Sheldon got up and walked into his room without responding. What was he going to do? Finding another roommate would take longer than a couple of weeks. And he wasn't comfortable with the thought of finding another roommate. It had been nearly a decade since Leonard had moved in and Sheldon had spent an inordinate amount of time making him a passable roommate. Was all of that training now for naught? Aside from Amy, Leonard was the one person that Sheldon was most comfortable around.

Sheldon spent the remainder of the afternoon puzzling out what he would do. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of having to find another roommate. He gave some thought to asking Koothrappali to move in. After all, when they had been temporarily roommates, it had been almost enjoyable. But as Raj was from another country there was always the risk that he would be deported, once again leaving Sheldon without a roommate. No, in the long run, it was probably best not to ask Raj to move in.

But who to ask? He didn't relish the idea of gaining a roommate who was a stranger. He already had more friends than he was comfortable with, and didn't like the idea of adding yet another member to his social group.

The longer he sat there, the angrier he became. It was very selfish of Leonard and Penny to decide to move in together without consulting him first. He decided to call Amy to verbalize his complaint to a sympathetic ear, but as he was reaching for the phone, he had another thought.

What if Amy became his roommate? She was his girlfriend and she was the only other person, besides Leonard, with whom he was comfortable spending prolonged periods of time with. And he already had a Relationship Agreement with her. He supposed it would be fairly simple to alter it to include provisions for living together.

He perked up. Yes. Why didn't he think of this before? Amy was the perfect person to replace Leonard. She already knew his dinner rotation. She knew how he liked his tea. She knew what his bathroom schedule was. Yes, it was so obvious that he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to puzzle it out.

But then a new thought occurred to him. Amy was a girl. And his girlfriend. He couldn't live with his _girlfriend_. He would never hear the end of it from his mother.

Oh, what a flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. He supposed he could just choose to defy his mother's wishes. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. And honestly, it was only her confounded religious beliefs that she would cause her to reject his living with his girlfriend.

But now that the realization had occurred to him, he found it made him uncomfortable…Drat. Now what?

Then he had another idea. It was such a simple obvious answer that he couldn't believe it didn't occur to him immediately. He would simply ask Amy to marry him. As a rule, he didn't care for the institution of marriage, but in this instance it seemed to be the only answer for him. And besides, it didn't mean things had to change. It would be a mere formality really. They already had the Relationship Agreement to dictate their actions. He was certain he could simply change the name to Marriage Agreement and leave little else unchanged.

He looked at the clock then, and realized that it was almost time for him to meet Amy for their anniversary dinner date. He had better get dressed. Yes, this was going to work out after all.

* * *

><p>As they were eating their dessert, Sheldon decided it was probably time to bring up his proposal.<p>

"Amy. I have a proposition I wish to pose to you."

Amy cocked her head to the side, curious. "Go on."

He set down his fork, and folded his hands on the table. "I would like to request your hand in marriage."

She blinked at him. He waited for her to respond, but she was still holding her fork half way to her mouth and staring at him. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Why didn't she answer him? What was she thinking? Did he not ask the question correctly? He wasn't exactly sure of the protocol, and as he had come to his decision so recently he hadn't had the time to ask Penny what to do. From what little research he had conducted, mainly from watching all those romantic comedies that Penny watched at their apartment (at least Leonard moving in with Penny meant Sheldon wouldn't have to deal with those horrendous excuses for movies anymore), he had expected his proposition to be met with happiness. Instead she merely looked shocked.

"Amy?"

She set down her fork and a slight frown came to her face. "Sheldon, where did this come from?"

"Well…Leonard informed me this afternoon that he would be moving in with Penny in a couple of weeks. Frankly I thought it was rather selfish of them to decide this without giving me more time or the chance to input my opinion in the matter, but alas, according to Leonard the matter is decided. When I was pondering what to do for a replacement roommate I came to the conclusion that you would be the best alternative. However, given that we are in a relationship, I grew worried at my mother's inevitable reaction. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of living with my girlfriend. That kind of progressive behavior may work for the likes of Penny and Leonard, but, I've decided, not for me. So of course the only reasonable conclusion would be for us to get married. That way no one need ever accuse us of having an unsavory relationship. Not that we would of course. The marriage would be a matter of convenience for both parties. I would have a roommate that I enjoy spending time with and you would get the privilege of living with me. Of course our Relationship Agreement would still stand, excepting a few provisions added to allow for basic roommate necessities, such as bathroom schedules. But otherwise we would be keeping the status quo, as, and I think you'll agree, it seems to be working fairly nicely for us both."

He waited again for Amy to respond in agreement. Instead she was still frowning…in what appeared to be confusion.

After what seemed to be an inordinate amount of time Amy finally looked at him and responded. "I'm going to need some time to think about this Sheldon."

"Of course. Take all the time you need…but please have an answer for me by tomorrow afternoon. If we're going to be getting married, I'll need time to go to the courthouse to procure the necessary legal documents. And we'll need to set a date at which we would both be available to go to the courthouse to actually be married."

"…Ok…"

They finished the rest of their dessert in silence before Sheldon paid and they left to go home. Sheldon was a little puzzled. Why wasn't Amy as excited by the prospect of living together as he was? It made no sense…

**A/N: As a show of how much I value you the readers I am already almost 1/2 way finished with the next chapter. I will try to upload it before bed tonight...but don't think this means you can wait to review! I want to hear every thought you had! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** **135 reviews. O_O You guys are awesome! Sorry for the delay. I know I said I'd have this up yesterday, but I got so frustrated with my writer's block that I just gave up and went to bed. Then I woke up and realized that I just didn't like any of it. So I deleted the entire 2 pages I had written. But believe me, this is much better than what I wrote initially. Enjoy!**

**Amy**

Amy sat in her apartment in total confusion. She was waiting for Penny and Bernadette to show up. She had texted them as soon as she got home, asking them to come over. They had both texted back to say they were on their way. Until then Amy was left with her thoughts.

Sheldon had proposed. And yet, the thought didn't excite her. And, if she was honest with herself, she knew why. He wasn't proposing because he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her. He was proposing because she was the most convenient replacement for Leonard. The thought was not flattering.

And yet…Sheldon had proposed. There was a part of her that was just happy that he enjoyed her company enough to come to the conclusion that marrying her would be a good option. And really, hadn't most marriages throughout history been marriages of convenience? It had only been in the past hundred years or so that the idea of marrying for love had become the norm. And she hadn't ever expected to get married anyways, so the fact that the option was open to her was also something she had never expected.

There was a knock on her door. Wondering whether it was Penny or Bernadette at the door, Amy went to answer it. It turned out to be both of them. They were smiling when Amy opened the door, but when they saw her, their smiles died.

"Oh god. What did Sheldon do?" Penny asked.

"Please. Come in." Amy motioned for them to sit on the couch.

"Amy you don't look good. Are you alright?" asked Bernadette.

Amy sat down on the couch and stared at the coffee table. "Sheldon proposed."

Penny inhaled and then started choking. Bernadette went to get her a glass of water, while Amy repeatedly hit Penny on the back. After several minutes and an entire glass of water, Penny recovered enough to ask hoarsely, "Sheldon proposed?"

Amy nodded.

Bernadette looked at Amy, confused. "You don't look happy about it. What did he say?"

Amy recounted what Sheldon had told her. When she finished both Penny and Bernadette were staring with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open.

Penny spoke first. "That…_wackadoodle_ said he wanted to marry you because he wants you for a _roommate?_" She put her hands over her eyes. "SHELDON! I'm going to _kill_ him!" She put her hand down and turned to Amy. "You didn't say yes to that did you?"

Amy shook her head. "I told him I'd have to think about it."

"What's to think about?" asked Bernadette. "You can't marry him because he wants to live with you. That's crazy! Take it from me. Marriage is hard. It's not something you want to enter into for such a silly reason."

Amy looked between her two friends. Maybe they were right. She hadn't really thought of that.

Penny frowned at Amy. "Amy, why would you even need to think about that? If Leonard had tried to pull something like that on me, you can bet your farm I wouldn't have needed to think about it."

Amy shrugged. "I don't know…I've never been proposed to before."

Penny scoffed. "_That_ was not a proposal." Bernadette nodded in agreement.

Bernadette asked, "Did he even mention anything about his feelings for you?"

Amy thought for a moment. "He said he enjoyed spending time with me. Does that count?"

Penny and Bernadette both answered "No" at the same time.

"This is ridiculous. We're going over there." Penny stood up.

Amy was taken aback. "We are? Why?"

"_Why?_ I'll tell you why. So I can slap that insane physicist on the head and you can give him the resounding no he deserves."

Amy hesitated. Penny frowned and sat back down. "Amy…why are you hesitating? Why aren't you angry? What Sheldon did was totally crazy."

Amy shrugged. Why was she hesitating? Penny was right…she should be angry. "I guess…I guess I just like the thought of living with Sheldon."

Penny and Bernadette gawked at her. "Wait…" said Penny. "You're telling me you are actually considering moving in with him?"

Amy shrugged again. Penny closed her eyes and shook her head. "Sweetie, I know you love Sheldon…" Amy looked at her in surprise. "…even if you haven't said it to each other, but this is not the way to start living with Sheldon. You can't marry him. Not yet."

Amy thought for a moment. Was Penny was right? Amy knew she had strong feelings for Sheldon, but, until Penny had said it, she hadn't thought that such feelings might constitute love. This was something to consider. A marriage of convenience was one thing, but unrequited love was quite another. She realized now why she hadn't gotten angry. Why she was hesitating. Why she wanted to live with Sheldon. She was in love. Yes. Of course. It made perfect sense.

But oh my. She was in love with Sheldon. This was serious. Penny was absolutely right. She couldn't marry Sheldon! Not if she loved him and he had yet to feel the same way! But what to do…she really did still like the idea of living with him. Oh why did he have to make such a mess of things? Amy felt herself getting irritated. If he had just asked her to move in with him then things wouldn't have gotten so complicated.

Amy looked at Penny and Bernadette, who had been watching Amy throughout her thought process. "Yes. Let's go to Sheldon's. I have something I want to say to him."

Penny perked up and smiled. "That a girl! Come on, you can ride with me. Bernadette, you're coming too right?"

Bernadette nodded vigorously. "I wouldn't miss it!"

Amy grabbed her purse and followed Penny to her car. As they were driving, they were both lost in their thoughts. Occasionally Penny would snort and say "I can't believe him".

Amy meanwhile was thinking about this new development. When had she fallen in love with Sheldon? And what did this mean? How could she fall in love and not realize it? It was all very confusing. And scary. What if Sheldon never loved her back? He was fond of her, she knew that, but what if he wasn't ever going to fall in love with her? And wasn't being in love supposed to make a person feel happy? Why did she feel the urge to vomit?

Again she grew irritated at Sheldon. Why did he have to be so rational? And why couldn't that rationality present itself in a _normal_ way, like oh…say…_not_ asking his girlfriend to marry him because his _roommate_ was moving out? The longer she thought about it, the more irritated she became.

_Oh this is just like Sheldon_, she thought. _Think only of what's most convenient for yourself. Never consider another's feelings_. Oh she was so angry she could just…well, she couldn't think of the correct verb…_that's_ how angry she was. She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes as she looked out the window.

By the time they arrived at the building, Amy was positively fuming. She, Penny, and Bernadette all walked up together, Amy still with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. As they were walking up the last flight of stairs, Amy said, "I would like to talk to Sheldon alone, if that's ok."

Penny nodded. "Of course! We'll wait in my apartment and you can come over after you've talked to him. I'll just go with you to grab Leonard."

Amy knocked on the door. When Sheldon opened the door Penny walked by him, punching him in the shoulder and saying "Ass."

"Ouch!" Sheldon rubbed his shoulder and glared back at Penny. "That was uncalled for. Why did you accost me?"

Penny scoffed. "Oh believe me, it was completely called for."

Leonard looked confused. "Am I missing something?"

"Come over with me to my apartment. Bernadette is over there. We can fill you in there while these two talk."

Leonard shrugged and followed Penny out the door.

After they left Sheldon looked at Amy. She still had her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Sheldon frowned at her in confusion. "You appear to be upset. Would you like some hot tea?"

"No, I would not like _hot tea._"

Sheldon cleared his throat. "Would you prefer to sit down?"

"No."

Sheldon looked around. "Well, I'm at a loss Amy. Why are you upset?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Why am I upset?...Why am I _upset?_ I'll tell you why I'm upset." She jabbed her finger at his chest. "_You_!"

Sheldon looked thoroughly perplexed. "Me? What did _I_ do?"

"What did you do?...What did you _do?_"

"Amy why do you keep repeating every question I ask twice?"

_Ugh,_ thought Amy. "I'll tell you why. Because you are an imbecile!"

Sheldon looked affronted. "Why am I an imbecile?"

"Because you proposed to me!"

Sheldon paused. "I apologize. I'm not following. You're upset with me because I proposed to you? But why would that upset you? Wouldn't that make you happy?"

Amy scoffed at him. "Oh yes. Nothing is so romantic as your boyfriend saying he wants to marry you so he can use you as a replacement roommate! Oh where do I sign the agreement! I have thought about it Sheldon Lee Cooper and my answer is a resounding NO!" She ended her last statement with another jab at his chest with her finger and then turned on her heel and left.

**A/N:** **Thanks for reading! Please remember to review! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Sheldon and I had a battle of wills. He won of course. Here's a tip to all writers out there: Don't try to make Sheldon do something he doesn't want to do. He'll fight you the whole way and you'll end up exhausted. :)**

**Sheldon**

Sheldon stared at the door after Amy left, rubbing his chest where she had poked him. What had just happened?

He sighed. There were times he forgot that Amy, while intelligent, still suffered from the constraints of the female hormonal system. It never failed to baffle him how the female mind worked. In what universe is a proposal a bad thing? Especially when it was Sheldon Cooper proposing to you…

He decided this was an appropriate situation to start drinking. After all, his life was in shambles; in a few short weeks he would be without a roommate and the last time he had seen his girlfriend this angry he had been forced to spend several hundred dollars on a tiara to win back her affections. He wondered if he could employ the same tactic this time...He absentmindedly rubbed his chest again. Then again, perhaps she was even angrier than she had been that time. He hoped he didn't get a bruise.

He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of root beer, opening it and taking a swig as he walked to his spot. As he sat down he pondered what Amy had said. He was puzzled by her reference to romance. As a rule, he detested the notion; it was far too emotion based for him. A niggling voice tried to point out the he had, on occasion, engaged in romantic activities, but he quickly silenced it, and returned to pondering Amy's meaning.

His limited data research (again thanks to Penny's apparent obsession with romantic comedies) had led him to believe that a proposal during an anniversary dinner would be considered the pinnacle of romance. Amy's assertion that the proposal lacked romance was therefore baffling.

He considered the next part of her statement. Did she consider his proposal lacking in romance because of how he proposed it? He thought back to his explanation. He had phrased his thoughts on the manner in such a way so as to make it clear that she was the best alternative for a replacement roommate. Hmm. Based on her reply, her opinion regarding the matter is that it is _not_ flattering to be considered the best alternative. It defied logic. How is being called the best alternative an insult?

Just then, Leonard walked cautiously through the door. "Hey Sheldon…"

Sheldon kept looking straight ahead. He sighed. "Hello."

Leonard walked over and sat in the chair next to him. "So…Amy seemed pretty upset…you want to talk about it?"

Sheldon took another swig of his root beer and didn't respond. He had yet to figure out if he was indeed in the wrong and didn't like the thought of Leonard being the one to point it out to him if he was.

Leonard cleared his throat. "Did you really propose to Amy?"

Sheldon nodded, taking a third swig.

"And…how did that go?"

Sheldon turned to Leonard sharply, giving him an exasperated look.

"What'd she say?"

Sheldon snorted derisively, turning back to the front. "I believe her exact words were 'I have thought about it Sheldon Lee Cooper and my answer is a resounding no.'"

Leonard inhaled. "That's rough…Sorry buddy. So…any idea why she reacted that way?"

Sheldon sighed. "No." He frowned and again turned to Leonard. "I don't understand what upset her. I told her she was the best alternative to replace you and that I would prefer to marry her to avoid a scandal. Why would she be offended? I said 'best'."

Leonard raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. "So…you didn't mention anything about feelings for her?"

"Leonard, be serious."

Leonard shook his head. "How you've managed to spend a year in a relationship and still have so much to learn is beyond me."

Sheldon frowned again. "What do you mean? What do I have to learn?" He didn't like where this was heading.

"Sheldon…I know you like to believe that Amy is just as logical as you are, and in most ways I'm sure she is…"

Sheldon's interest was piqued. "Go on."

"Well…when it comes to relationships women, all women, including Amy, want a little romance in their lives."

There was that word again. Romance. It was such an impractical word. It made him uncomfortable. He didn't like it.

But he still wasn't sure he followed. "Leonard, if you're trying to lead me somewhere I suggest you get there quickly. I'm losing my patience."

"Ok, fine. You can't tell a woman you want to marry her because it's practical and you don't want to find another roommate. You tell a woman you want to marry her because you love her and want to spend your life together."

Was Leonard insane? He couldn't say that to Amy. He snorted again. "That's just crazy talk."

Leonard shrugged. "It's up to you, but if I were you, I'd be thinking about calling Amy and apologizing…assuming you want her as your girlfriend."

Sheldon scoffed. "But what do I apologize for? I'm still not certain I did anything wrong."

Leonard closed his eyes and shook his head. "I tried…"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Tried what? Telling me I had to start spouting declarations of love during a proposal? Do you even know me at all Leonard?"

"Look…I'm just trying to help."

"Yes, well, I think you've given all the help you need to Leonard. If you weren't leaving in a few weeks, I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Wait…you're blaming me for this?"

Sheldon nodded. "If you weren't moving out, I wouldn't have needed a new roommate, and if I hadn't needed a new roommate I wouldn't have even thought to ask Amy to marry me. This is all on you."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "I give up. Do what you want Sheldon. Take my advice, don't take it. I was just trying to do you a favor."

"Well don't do me any more favors." Sheldon got up and took his root beer with him into his room. Pfft. Romance. Declarations of love. What nonsense. The niggling voice tried to speak again, but Sheldon vigorously silenced it.

* * *

><p>The next few days were some of the worst in Sheldon's life. He had tried many means of contacting Amy, but she had not responded to any of them. His friends were worse than useless. Raj and Howard seemed to find endless amusement in his predicament, and Leonard simply refused to discuss the matter, saying he had endured enough blame shifting already. Pfft. Blame shifting. Who was Leonard kidding? There was no need to <em>shift<em> the blame, when the blame was already on him.

He had gone to Penny, but her only advice was to give Amy "space" and "time to cool down." Even his work was suffering, as he was having a difficult time concentrating. It was simply maddening. _This is what you get for choosing to pair bond instead of focus on your quest for a Nobel Prize_, he told himself. And to top it all off, he hadn't been sleeping well. Every time he laid down to go to sleep Amy's angry face would pop up. And when he did fall asleep he would be woken up by dreams in which Amy stated she never wanted to see him again. It was ridiculous!

He started spending less time with his friends and more time in his room, alternating between attempting to get more work done or reading comic books. He could frequently hear his friends in the other room discussing him and Amy. It was exasperating. Didn't they realize he could hear them? With all the times they had commented on his "Vulcan" hearing you'd think they'd at least attempt to speak in a whisper.

But the worst, the very worst, was the niggling voice that refused to be quiet. No matter how many times he tried to suppress it, it always cropped up, telling him things he didn't want to hear.

_Why don't you just admit you have strong feelings for Amy?_ it would say, sounding uncomfortably like his mother. Well of course he has strong feelings for Amy! He respected Amy as not only his companion, but his close friend.

_But you don't just have friendly feelings do you?_

He absolutely refused to think about it. He had no problem admitting he was fond of Amy, but he did not wish to spend his precious time dissecting his feelings. He was a man of science, not a hippie. It was enough to know that he had a fondness for Amy.

He sighed. He was in his room trying to read a Batman comic, but, as had now become the norm, he couldn't concentrate. He was simply tired of thinking about his problems. Under normal circumstances he would have asked Amy for advice regarding an issue, but as she _was_ the issue he had no one else to turn to. His mother had called him and tried to discuss it with him, but he had flat refused to say anything. She had told him she would pray that he stopped ignoring his feelings and admit he was in love. He had scoffed at the idea, naturally, but he had given up trying to convince her he didn't want or need her prayers.

Love. Romance. Why did people keep bringing those words up? He detested them. He detested Amy and her hormonally driven emotional response. He detested Leonard for moving out and forcing him in this position. He detested his supposed friends for their constant teasing. He detested his mother for daring to believe he was actually in love. He detested the world and everyone in it. Why did he have to live amongst such emotional beings? Oh if only he could move to planet Vulcan.

He gave up on his comic book and decided to once again attempt to work. He had brought his whiteboard into his room, as he still did not wish to engage in social interactions with Leonard or the rest of their group. He stared at the equations on the board, trying to concentrate. After 10 minutes he again gave up. The numbers not only didn't make sense anymore, but had actually begun to move around in front of his eyes. It was useless. He was too tired. His cognitive function was impaired.

He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Why couldn't he stop thinking about Amy? Leonard was moving out in 14 days, he had yet to even begin finding another roommate, and yet all he could think about was Amy. It was irritating. And exhausting. It had been 5 days since Amy's refusal and he had not had a decent REM cycle since.

He blinked at the ceiling and sighed. He missed Amy.

He sat upright. Where had that come from? He was angry at Amy for being unreasonable, not _missing_ her.

_Who are you kidding_, the niggling voice said. He frowned. He hated that voice. The longer he went without proper sleep the more difficult it was to suppress.

_You're wrong_, he said to the voice. He laid back down and resumed staring at the ceiling. Brilliant. Now he was having conversations with voices in his head.

If only he could fall asleep. He was certain that if he got a decent night's sleep he would be able retain control of his emotions and his life. He would then be able to convince Amy that he was in the right, and get her to agree to be his roommate.

He started thinking about what Leonard had said; that he needed to admit feelings for Amy during a proposal. He still disagreed, but he was beginning to think there was a _possibility_ that he had been a little hasty in asking Amy to marry him. If what Leonard said was true, and he was not yet willing to admit it was, then perhaps the most logical course of action would be to apologize for his hasty proposal. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of living with his girlfriend, but he was even more uncomfortable with the idea of living with a complete stranger.

He heard the front door open and Leonard say "He's in his room." Sheldon sighed. Oh which of his supposed friends was it this time? Howard come to tease him? Raj to point out that he was woefully under qualified to be pair bonded with a woman? Penny to tell him to get over himself and apologize? Well, he wasn't going to stand for it. He would refuse to talk to them.

_Knock knock_

"Go away."

"Sheldon, it's Amy."

**A/N: A big thank you to all you readers out there. And a big thanks to the lovely people at fanforum for inadvertantly helping me with this chapter. There has been some remarkable character analysis going on over there. And lastly, Please review! I went through every argument with Sheldon for YOU. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Amy**

After turning down his proposal and leaving Sheldon's apartment, Amy had returned to Penny's. She hadn't even knocked, but just walked straight in. The conversation between Penny, Bernadette, and Leonard stopped immediately. Amy knew her two friends had been filling Leonard in on the situation. All three of them looked at her apprehensively.

"Amy, how'd it go?" asked Bernadette cautiously.

"Splendidly. I answered his proposal with a resounding no. He actually claimed confusion regarding my anger." She gave an exasperated sigh.

Penny got up and walked over to give Amy a side hug and asked "How are you doing?"

Amy shrugged. She was still too angry to process everything. She wasn't even sure what _exactly_ she was so angry about. Sheldon's proposal? The fact that she was in love with a man who thought of her as little more than roommate material?

"Why don't you come over here and sit down. Leonard get up."

Leonard hopped up immediately. "Yeah, you know…maybe I'd better get going anyways…leave you girls to discuss this on your own."

Penny looked over at him. "Yeah, how about you go talk to that crazy roommate of yours; see if you can talk some sense into him."

"Yeah…" Leonard came over to give Penny a quick kiss before leaving. "Thankfully he won't be my roommate for much longer." Penny smiled at him as he walked out the door.

Amy watched the exchange between Leonard and Penny and suddenly found the wind gone from her sails. She was a little jealous of their easy going relationship. As a rule she enjoyed the unique relationship she had with Sheldon, but there were times she found herself wishing her boyfriend treated her the way Leonard treated Penny. She had had to fight for every move forward in the relationship…save marriage apparently.

She leaned back on the couch and sighed. This evening had been too much. It was supposed to have been a simple dinner to celebrate a milestone in her and Sheldon's relationship and had instead consisted of a ridiculous excuse for a proposal, an internal admission of love, anger, and yelling. Now that it was all over, all she felt was sad. How and why did this get so complicated?

Penny came over and sat next to Amy, who was sitting in the middle of the couch, and put her arm around her. Bernadette was sitting on her other side, rubbing Amy's arm. Neither one spoke for a few minutes, for which Amy was grateful. This was the largest argument she had had with Sheldon and so the experience was entirely new to her. She was grateful to have two friends to help her figure out what to do next.

Penny was the first one to break the silence. "So…do you want to talk about what happened?"

Amy shrugged. "There's not much to tell. He was baffled about why I was angry. I told him it wasn't very romantic to be considered an alternative to Leonard and then I told him no. And then I walked, or more precisely, stomped over here."

"How are you feeling?" asked Bernadette.

Amy shrugged again. "I don't know."

"But you're still angry right?"

Amy shrugged again. "Yeah, I suppose."

Penny frowned, confused. "You suppose?"

Amy shrugged a third time. "I haven't really had time to process everything. This evening has been quite the whirlwind. I have received a shock and have been running through the entire gamut of emotions throughout the course of the night. I believe what I'm experiencing now is what's called 'coming down from a high'. I just feel sad. If it were happening to anyone else, I would have pulled out my electrodes by now to monitor their brainwave activity."

Penny squeezed Amy in a semi-hug. "How about some ice cream and Kalua?"

Amy gave Penny a small smile. "Yes, that would be nice."

Penny hopped up. "Coming right up!"

Bernadette turned to Amy and gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll work through this. Howie and I have fights all the time."

Amy frowned at Bernadette. "Really?"

Bernadette nodded. "Oh sure. We disagree on a lot of stuff. And sometimes we yell, but eventually it blows over. One of us says we're sorry and we move on. I'm sure that's what'll happen here. Sheldon will realize he was being silly and apologize."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Sheldon will realize he was being silly?" She gave Bernadette a skeptical look.

Penny piped up from the kitchen. "Yeah Bernadette…I'm not so sure about that. I've known Sheldon for over six years and I don't think I've ever heard him admit to being wrong."

"But didn't he apologize to Amy for the way he acted in her lab?"

Amy and Penny both thought about it for a minute. Amy nodded. "True…he did."

"Well, see? There's hope. Maybe Leonard will convince him and Sheldon will apologize before the night's up!"

Penny walked over and handed Amy her ice cream. "Maybe you're right Bernadette."

Amy wasn't so sure. She had spent a lot of time with Sheldon; she may not have known him as long as Penny, but she understood how his mind worked. This wasn't just admitting that he had acted like an ass. This was a more public humiliation…all of their friends would know that she had rejected him. He wasn't likely to admit fault easily; he was too stubborn for that.

Amy frowned. "I'm not going to speak to him until he apologizes."

Penny raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Ok. Good for you."

Bernadette had a worried look on her face. "But what if he won't apologize?"

Amy again shrugged. "Then I won't speak to him."

"That seems a little harsh. You'd really end your relationship if he doesn't apologize?"

Penny gave a nervous laugh. "Oh Bernadette…I don't think it'll come to that. Amy just needs some time to process and cool down. And Sheldon needs some time to realize that what he did was stupid. Amy doesn't want to end the relationship, do you Ames?"

Amy looked at Penny and gave a slight frown. "No, of course not…but if he doesn't realize he was, as you say, stupid, then I don't really know where we would go from here."

Penny laughed nervously again. "Well…why don't you just start with a few days of the silent treatment? I'm sure that'll bring him around…"

Amy looked between her friends. "I don't understand. Why are you so worried? _You_ were the ones who convinced me to get angry and say no."

Bernadette cleared her throat. "Well…we didn't want you to say yes to marrying Sheldon, but we didn't want this to be a relationship ender."

Amy processed that. "Well, it doesn't have to be." She frowned. "That's up to Sheldon."

She saw Penny and Bernadette exchange looks. She didn't understand what was happening. _They_ were the once who convinced her that Sheldon had insulted her and that she needed to get angry. And yet, here they were, not an hour later, telling her not to stay angry at him. Which was it?

"Well…" She put down her bowl and got up. "It's been a very exhausting evening. I think I'd like to go home now and get some sleep."

Penny walked her to the door. "Amy…" Amy turned back around to look at her. "…let me know if you need to talk. Go home and get some sleep. You might feel better in the morning."

Amy didn't quite understand what sleep would have to do with feeling better about the situation, but she nodded. "Thank you Penny." She looked over at Bernadette. "And thank you Bernadette. Thanks for helping me avoid a life altering error."

"You're welcome sweetie."

Amy turned and walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Amy lay in bed that night, unable to fall asleep. She kept repeating the events of the night in her head. She still was unable to process it all. She had been sitting at the dinner table thinking about the events following Sheldon's first kiss and then she was being proposed to. And then she had realized she was in love and had gotten angry. This was much more emotion than she was used to handling. She wasn't sure she liked it.<p>

She wondered if she had made the correct decision when she said she wouldn't talk to Sheldon until he apologized. What if he _never_ apologized. Did she really want to find herself with a broken relationship just when she realized she was in love?

But no. It was the correct decision. A year ago Amy might have been ok with a comparison to Leonard, but after a year in a proper pair bonded relationship she had hoped that Sheldon had come to view her as more than a friendly companion. They had, after all, spent a significant portion of their time in some form of physical contact, be it cuddling, hand holding, or occasionally kissing. Certainly that wasn't the kind of thing Sheldon engaged in with Leonard.

She also still didn't know how to process the fact that she was in love. Part of her wanted to talk with someone about it, but another, larger, part wanted to keep the information to herself. It made her feel naked to think about admitting it out loud to anyone, and induced panic to think of admitting it to Sheldon. After thinking about it, she realized that perhaps the best course of action would be to keep the information to herself, at least until she was more comfortable with the idea.

After coming to concrete decisions regarding both Sheldon and this new admission, she found herself finally growing tired. Perhaps now she would be able to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Amy made the decision to throw herself into her work and not think about Sheldon. She had also decided that only an apology in person would do. As such she started deleting his emails and texts without reading them. She had even started staying away from Twitter and Facebook.<p>

In all, the next few days were some of her most productive at work. She found herself going in to work early and staying late to avoid being alone in her apartment. She found that she enjoyed having something else to think about besides her problems.

After a few days Penny called and tried to get Amy to go see Sheldon. She said that he had become a recluse and she was worried about him. But Amy reiterated her plan to wait until Sheldon came to her to apologize. And it had only been three days after all; he can't have gone too far off the proverbial deep end.

On day five, Amy received a call from a number she didn't recognize. She thought quickly about not answering, but she wondered who it could be, so she decided to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Why hello there! Is this Amy Farrah Fowler?"

"Yes. May I ask who is speaking?"

"Well, are you saying you don't remember me? Well, I guess it has been over two years since I last saw you. This is Mary! Sheldon's mamma."

"Oh. Hello Mrs. Cooper."

"Oh now please. Call me Mary."

"Ok…Hello Mary." Amy didn't know what to say. She had a feeling she knew why Mrs. Cooper had called, but she wasn't sure what to do. "How can I help you…Mary."

"Well now, it's been brought to my attention that my little Shelly Bean and you have had a little argument and that you aren't on speaking terms."

"Yes. That's true."

"Well, what's the problem?"

Amy wasn't sure how to respond. "…Your son proposed to me."

"And that's a reason not to speak to someone?"

Amy cleared her throat. "He made it perfectly clear that the only reason he wished to marry me was because Leonard was moving out and he is too puritanical in his thinking to live with his girlfriend. He mentioned nothing about having feelings of a romantic nature."

She heard Mrs. Cooper laugh. "Oh is that all?"

Is that all? It seemed like a lot to Amy. She wasn't sure how to respond.

"Honey, that boy isn't like to admit his feelings to himself, let alone anyone else. Why I've never heard him clam up so fast as when I told him to admit he was in love with you."

"You…told him to admit he was in love with me?"

"Well yes! It's plain as day to someone who's known him since before he was knee high to a grasshopper. What other explanation can you find for his making such a rash, unintelligent, completely irrational decision?"

"…I don't know."

"Well there you go. I know that you and Sheldon have a…unique relationship, but that don't mean you're not just like everyone else."

"Actually…Mary…I think that's exactly what it means."

"Oh don't flatter yourself." She laughed. "Now here's what you're going to do. You go over there and talk to that boy. If you're waiting for him to come to you, when you won't answer any of his attempts to get a hold of you, then you'll be waiting until your hair turns blue. You ought to know by now that that boy is as stubborn as all get out."

"Mrs…Mary…I'm not sure I can just forgive him without his admitting what he did was, if you'll allow me to be blunt, stupid."

"Oh darling, of course not. Of course what he did was stupid, and I want you to make sure he knows it. But you've got to make the first move. The poor boy hasn't slept in days. Penny and Leonard have both called me, worried. I thought about coming to visit, but I thought, why waste my time if I can just talk to his little girlfriend and get her to do all the heavy lifting?"

Amy didn't know how to respond. Speaking with Sheldon's mom wasn't quite like speaking with anyone else she had encountered. She had a way of clearing things up that others left muddled. And Amy was very intrigued that Sheldon's mother believed he was in love with her.

"You're being awful quiet over there. What do you say? Can I count on you to go over and start talking to Shelly?"

Amy considered it for another moment. "Yes. I'll go speak with him…but I'm not guaranteeing that anything will be resolved. I'm still quite angry with him."

"Of course you are dear. You have every right to be. But just remember you can't expect that boy to read your mind. He may be stranger than a cat lovin' dog, but he's still a man. He wouldn't know he was in love if he had it tattooed across his forehead. Be patient with him…Oh Lordy, look at the time. I had better get going. But you go on and get over there and talk to him."

"Ok Mrs…Mary…thank you for the call."

She hung up and thought about the conversation. She wondered about Sheldon not getting any sleep for five days. She still wasn't sure she wanted to speak with him, but she had told Mrs. Cooper that she would. She decided it was better to get it over with, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

When she arrived at the door and knocked Leonard answered.

"Hi." He looked shocked to see her.

"Hello. I'd like to speak with Sheldon."

"He's in his room." Leonard looked like he was going to say something else, but he didn't. He just motioned for her to come in and head to Sheldon's room.

When she got there, she felt her resolve weakening. She wasn't sure she could have the conversation she needed to have with Sheldon. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Go away."

"Sheldon, it's Amy."

**A/N: Thank you again for reading. I'd also like to say a thank you to all you who have put my story on your Alerts and/or have Favorited. It's extremely flattering. I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that I'm finding myself in need of a break. Between real life responsibilities and my occasional (and increasing) writer's frustration, I need some time to step away and get into the correct frame of mind to continue the story. I don't want to end up bitter and start writing terribly. The good news is that I would never abandon you and will most definitely continue writing. I don't know how long that will be...most likely only a few extra days. But here's a tip. I tend to use reviews as motivators. The more reviews I receive the more motivated I am to write. No pressure. ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks so much for the time off. It was nice to catch up on life. And thanks to illness I ended up with more time to write...so boo for my health but yay for you readers. ;) Also thanks to those who reviewed. Always appreciated. :) Oh and can I just take this moment to say "Who else melted when Amy said she thought Sheldon was the best boyfriend in this past episode?" :love: Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

**Sheldon**

Sheldon bolted upright. Amy? What was she doing here? He looked around his room trying to decide what to do.

"Sheldon?"

He felt a moment of panic. What if she were here to break their Relationship Agreement? She hadn't responded to any of his communications for 5 days and now she was here in person? What had driven her here? What was she going to say?

_Keep it together man, _he thought to himself. _Amy can't see you in such a state. Have some dignity_.

He decided then that he would talk to her. "Enter."

Amy opened the door slowly and stood in the doorway, looking everywhere but at him. Sheldon was still sitting upright in the middle of his bed. He looked at her, wondering if she was going to enter his room. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. As a rule no one was allowed in his room. But then again this was Amy. If anyone would be allowed in, it would be her.

He swung his feet over so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed. He waited for her to speak, unsure what he himself could say to break the silence.

As she continued to hover in the doorway he found himself saying "You didn't answer any of my communications."

She looked at him, nodded, but didn't respond. He frowned. Why didn't she respond? Was she still angry? Was she trying not to yell at him? He rubbed the tender spot on his chest where she had poked him the last time they spoke.

After a few more moments of silence, she finally took a deep breath and looked at him. "Sheldon I think we had best have a discussion regarding the events of five days ago."

Drat.

He nodded. "Please. Come in…may I offer you a beverage? Hot or otherwise?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine thank you." She took a step inside but shuffled, looking around. He looked around as well and realized there was no place for her to sit. Hmm. He didn't want to have the conversation in the common area, where Leonard could listen. What to do?

Amy cleared her throat. "Is it alright if I sit on your bed? There seems to be no other accommodation."

Sit on his bed? The thought made him uncomfortable. He looked around again, trying to think of an alternative. There appeared to be none. He nodded and gestured to Amy, "Please, have a seat."

Amy closed the door and came to sit next to him. She was looking at her hands on her lap. Sheldon didn't know what to do. She had said they should talk. Was she waiting for him to say something? He was pondering what to say when she abruptly turned to look at him.

"Sheldon, I find myself in unfamiliar territory."

He blinked at her. He wasn't sure what response was required. "Ok."

"I…" Amy paused. She appeared to be considering something. "Do you know why I was angry at your proposal?"

Sheldon thought back to her response. "I believe you implied that it wasn't romantic."

Amy looked at him. She had a frown on her face. She looked…worried? Why was she worried? He yet again pondered the workings of the female mind. Someone should write a research based paper on the inner workings of the female brain. He detested not knowing what to do. It had become a familiar feeling and he didn't like that. He took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid I'm baffled by your assertion that it wasn't romantic. We were at an anniversary dinner. I told you you were the best alternative."

She still had the worried expression on her face. "You said I was the best alternative as a replacement for Leonard."

He was confused. Isn't she just repeating what he just said? "I'm afraid I don't understand the implication of your statement."

She cocked her head. "The implication is that you view me as nothing more than a potential roommate, rather than a more important part of your social paradigm."

Hmm. Interesting. "And that made you…angry?"

She paused. "It was a little insulting."

Interesting indeed. She found his assertion that she was the best alternative to replace Leonard as an insult because it implied that she was no more important to him than Leonard. He sighed. Well if Leonard had said that instead of going on about romance then Sheldon would have understood better.

But how to respond? He thought for a moment about the implications. The niggling voice decided to speak up again.

_Just tell her she _is_ more important to you than Leonard._

He really hated that voice…but in this case, it might be right. Perhaps he _should_ tell Amy that she was a very important part of his life. The thought made him feel very uncomfortable. He didn't like discussing his feelings. It made him feel exposed.

_This is Amy. When has she ever mocked your feelings?_

Hmm…true…what was going on here? Was he actually agreeing with this voice? _Be quiet!_ He thought. But still…what should he do?

"Sheldon?"

Sheldon looked over at Amy. She still had the worried expression on her face. He didn't like seeing her upset. He made a decision then, since it was just the two of them.

"Amy…you _are_ more important to me than Leonard."

Amy's mouth popped open and she started blinking rapidly. Did he just upset her more?

"Leonard is my best friend…but…you're my girlfriend. This is why I came to the conclusion that you would be the best alternative to replace him. I'm sure this will come as no surprise to you, but I have done much research on the various social paradigms of different cultures. In most all of them friendships came in second behind the object of one's affection."

Amy turned away from him. He frowned. What was going on? Was she still upset? He thought about grabbing her hand, but was unsure if it would upset her still further.

She turned back again. "Why did you propose?"

He frowned. He thought he had stated that during his proposal. "It makes me uncomfortable to think of living with my girlfriend."

She thought for a moment. "Why?"

He paused. Living with a girlfriend was the sort of progressive thing that Leonard and Penny did. He had been raised to believe a man married a woman before he lived with her. It was the proper social convention. He can't count the number of times his mother said to him "Shelly, a proper man purchases the cow before he drinks the milk." Although admittedly he didn't fully understand the phrase, he at least understood the basic principle.

"I assumed it would be insulting to ask you to live with your boyfriend, rather than live with the more socially accepted paradigm; which would be living with your spouse."

Amy blinked at him. "But…" She paused and again looked worried.

He cocked his head to the side. What was she going to say? And why did she look worried again?

Amy took a deep breath. "But you didn't mention anything about your feelings for me. Is it not also part of social convention to marry for…love?"

Sheldon looked away. Drat. Why did she have to bring up love? It made him uncomfortable. This entire conversation made him uncomfortable. Hadn't he just said she was more important to him than Leonard? He didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to anger Amy further and he suspected if he tried to ignore the question that Amy would only become more upset. Experience thus far had at least taught him that. He looked at his hands.

"Yes…I suppose it is." He was very uncomfortable. This conversation was getting too emotional. He didn't like it.

"So…can you at least admit that your proposal was spoken in haste?"

Sheldon sighed. He had suspected it would come to this, but it didn't make him any less uncomfortable with it. "Yes. I suppose I should have given the matter more thought."

He frowned. He could feel the niggling voice telling him that now was the time for an apology, but apologies always made him feel exposed. He didn't like the feeling. But perhaps this was the only way to make Amy feel better…

He turned to her. "Amy…I'm sorry."

Her face lost its worried frown and gained a small smile as she said "You're forgiven."

He frowned again. "But what am I going to do about a roommate? Leonard is leaving in fourteen days and I haven't even begun to search for a replacement." Now that his problem with Amy was resolved, he found his second problem looming up at him.

Amy cleared her throat. "Well…I could still live with you."

Sheldon was shocked. Amy was willing to live with him even if it was against the social convention? He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"You're willing to live with me? Even if it means you're shunned as a floozy by society?"

"Sheldon, I don't think I'll be shunned by society for living with you…" she looked at her hands "but yes…I am willing to live with you."

Things were finally going his way. "Splendid…" he paused. "You realize that this will paint you in an unsavory light where my mother is concerned."

Amy shrugged. "That's ok. I believe it is also part of the social norm to be considered less than worthy by the mother of the male you are pair bonded with."

Sheldon smiled. "I'll draft up the new amendments we'll need to add to the relationship agreement. I can have them to you in a few days."

Amy frowned. "How about we discuss the amendments together…"

"Together? Don't you trust me to cover everything?"

"Yes. Of course. You will no doubt cover everything that you foresee as a problem. That's exactly why I'd like to have a voice in the drafting process."

Hmm…this was interesting. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he supposed it couldn't hurt.

He shrugged. "Ok. We can meet tomorrow to talk about it." He smiled at her. She smiled back. He liked it when she smiled at him.

"Great." She looked at her watch. "I should probably get going." She stood up to leave.

"Amy?"

She turned around to look at him. Sheldon stood, unsure of what he was doing. He walked over to her, still unsure why he had stopped her from leaving. Before he quite realized what he was doing, he had wrapped both of his arms around her in a hug. She didn't move at first, but then put her hands around him to return the hug.

When he let go of her, she looked up at him, with a blank expression. "You realize you just broke the Relationship Agreement don't you?"

He frowned. Drat. She was right. He hadn't asked her before hugging her. What was going on? He would blame it on the lack of sleep coupled with the release of tension at his two foremost problems having been solved.

She smiled at him and walked out the door.

**A/N: I really wanted to get this right. Let me know what you think. Please review. Many Thanks. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yay for another update! You are all reaping the benefits of my illness...but be forewarned, I'm feeling much better and must return to life. This week is going to be a very busy one. But you know, I'm giving you 2 updates in 2 days, so really you can't complain. lol :) Enjoy!**

**Amy**

"I'm not allowed to shoot you in the event of a zombie apocalypse where you have been turned?"

Amy looked up from the document in front of her, giving Sheldon an incredulous look. "You realize that zombies don't exist."

Sheldon raised his chin. "We don't know that. They might exist."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "I can assure you it's biologically impossible. You are either living or dead. You cannot be both."

"If it's biologically impossible, then you won't mind signing the provision."

"It's ridiculous."

"That is your opinion."

Amy narrowed her eyes at Sheldon. He in turn narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm not signing it."

Sheldon sighed. He looked over at Leonard. He and Penny had seated themselves on the couch with popcorn and had been snickering and talking in whispers ever since Amy and Sheldon had started their negotiations.

"Leonard, you see what you're doing?"

Leonard smiled a toothy grin. "Having fun watching you meet your match?"

Amy looked at Leonard in surprise as Sheldon again narrowed his eyes. "No. You're leaving me to live with a person who isn't willing to give me their assurance that they won't murder me if I am turned into a zombie."

Amy scoffed. "It would hardly be murder. You'd already be dead."

Sheldon turned around and pointed at her. "Aha! So you're saying that it IS a possibility?"

"No. I'm stating that in the hypothetical situation where you were in fact a zombie, it would not be murder, because you would already be dead. You would have already been murdered by the zombie that infected you, rendering any further killing on my part moot, and, given your now brainless undead state, it would be more likely viewed as an act of kindness." She raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying you really would prefer I leave you in a brainless state, never to have another rational thought again?"

Penny laughed. "I think she's got you there Sheldon."

He turned to glare at Penny, before turning back to Amy, sighing. "Fine. I concede."

Amy smiled in triumph.

"Will you at least sign the Skynet clause? You have to admit _that_ is at least a possibility. Artificial intelligence, while still in its early stages at this time, has the potential to become a real threat."

Amy raised her eyebrows again. "Which clause is that again?"

"It states that one person will help the other person in the event that they have created an artificial intelligence that is taking over the world."

Amy thought for a moment. Perhaps she should let him have his way. After all, as he said, it was at least possible…unlike a zombie apocalypse. "Fine. I agree. In the event that either you or I have created an earth dominating artificial intelligence, we shall be obligated to help the other person destroy it."

Sheldon looked relieved and put a highlighted box around the clause. "Finally, we're getting somewhere."

"We'd be much further along if you hadn't spent twenty minutes negotiating the terms of my harp playing."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to feel like I'm walking around in a daydream all day every day."

"It's hardly all day every day if you'll only allow me to play once a week."

Sheldon put his hand over his eyes. "We've been through this. I conceded that you are allowed to play every day so long as it is between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m."

Amy gave a small smile, looking at him through her eyelashes. Leonard and Penny snickered. Sheldon looked over at them and then back at Amy. "Are you _mocking_ me?"

"Not mocking, no. Merely enjoying your discomfort."

Sheldon looked affronted. "So my discomfort amuses you?" He looked over at Leonard and Penny. "Well laugh away. See if I mention _you_ in my autobiography. I _was_ planning a lengthy paragraph on the various relationships during the time of my great discoveries, but you can kiss that notoriety good bye. No one will ever know that you were friends with, or the girlfriend of, the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper."

He replaced the cap on his pen, set it down, and crossed his arms. Amy choked down the urge to start laughing. She was so happy to have their relationship back to the happy state it had been in prior to Sheldon's proposal. And the thought of living with him was only becoming more exciting. She supposed that other people would find the negotiations of the amendments to their Relationship Agreement harrowing, but she found it oddly titillating. She enjoyed the challenge that the brilliant mind of her boyfriend provided…so long as it wasn't concocting ridiculous schemes involving marriage for the sake of convenience.

Leonard smiled at Amy. "I think you'd better go easy on him. He's never had to actually negotiate on his precious agreements before."

Sheldon glared at Leonard. "I'll have you know, that my agreements are always well thought out and strive to cover any and all possibilities. _That_ is why I have never had to negotiate before."

Amy smiled to herself again. But perhaps she had best take Leonard's advice and go easy on him for a bit. "You're right of course, Sheldon. The agreement is very well thought out. However, it just happens that you and I have a different opinion on what 'any and all possibilities' includes."

She looked down at the sheets of paper in front of her again. "For example, I do not believe we need to have an amendment regarding what to do in the event that one of us is a pod person…or," she looked down again, "what to do if someone were to attempt to destroy Tokyo. But if it would make you feel more comfortable…I will agree to sign the clause stating that if either of us gains a super power, we shall name the other one as sidekick."

Sheldon looked at her warily and didn't answer for a moment. He looked over at Leonard and Penny, glaring when Penny threw a piece of popcorn in her mouth, smiled, and waved. He looked back at Amy. "I agree." He sighed, putting red X's through the paragraphs on pod people and Godzilla, and putting a highlighted box around the superhero clause.

Amy looked back down at her stack of papers, shuffling through them and glancing at various topics. She stopped when she found one that didn't make sense.

"Sheldon…what is this 'second week of the month' clause? 'During the second week of each month, the boyfriend and girlfriend shall strive to remain apart for at least 85 percent of normal communal time?'"

"Oh that refers to the week prior to the start of your menses."

Amy's mouth popped open in disbelief. "You have a clause relating to my menses?"

Leonard started simultaneously laughing and choking. Amy looked over at him and saw Penny punch his arm. "Leonard!" She grabbed some popcorn and threw it in the direction of Sheldon. "Sheldon! I can't believe you! What is _wrong_ with you?"

Sheldon looked confused. "I don't understand. I concluded it to be a nice compromise in order to avoid the inevitable arguments that would arise when Amy is undergoing her monthly hormonal shifts."

Amy supposed she should be outraged as Penny was, but actually she saw the logic behind the clause. What she was feeling was more an equal mixture of mortification and amusement. She looked over at Penny. Penny would likely call Amy crazy if she agreed to the clause…still there was no denying the practicality of it. Perhaps she could make a few suggestions to level it out.

"I will agree to the clause…" Penny choked on her popcorn and Sheldon looked pleased, "but with a few changes."

Sheldon looked intrigued. "Alright. I'll hear these changes."

"The time spent apart shall be 60% instead of 85%..." Amy thought for a moment more. "And you shall be required to do one of the following, of your choice; you may choose to spend at least 10 minutes of every day during said week cuddling, giving me a hug both in the morning and in the evening, or…" she thought carefully about her third option. "spend one evening during the week watching a romantic comedy with me."

Sheldon scoffed. "You don't even _like_ romantic comedies! You told me once that you thought they were nothing more than a sad commentary on the lives of women who have nothing better to do with their lives than spend their time pining for a proverbial prince charming."

"I said that nearly 2 years ago. I have since spent a fair amount of evenings with Penny and Bernadette watching them and have found them to be a pleasantly romantic distraction."

Sheldon didn't look happy. "It defies logic. If the point is to stay apart, why would you advocate for _more_ physical contact? And that's not to mention that you will inevitably request cuddling while watching the movie. This seems balanced more in your favor than in anything resembling equality."

"Due to the hormonal shifts you mentioned, I can become…how shall I state this…more emotional. Surely you've noticed this, otherwise why would you have drafted the clause? You even knew which week of the month these hormonal shifts occur. You should realize the intrinsic benefit for you would be a happy girlfriend, thus fulfilling the purpose of the clause. You can take it or leave it. I find the clause to be a practical one, but those are the terms to which I will agree to it."

She looked over to Penny, who was looking at Amy like she was crazy. Amy shrugged and looked back at Sheldon, who was eyeing her warily again.

"I agree…but I am finding myself doing much more compromising than you are."

"That is because you came to the table with many more requests that I did. And if you'll recall, I conceded your toilet time and agreed to take 7:30 even though said time is not within the parameters of my normal toilet time routine. Surely you'll agree that I made a colossal sacrifice in agreeing to that."

Sheldon sighed. "You're right, on that account at least." He gestured to the rest of the papers. "Shall we continue? At the rate we're progressing we'll still be negotiating on the same day you are moving in."

"Of course. Continue." Amy smiled at him. He eyed Leonard and Penny and then returned her smile with a small one of his own.

Yes, in all, it was going to be quite the experience living with Sheldon Cooper. She couldn't wait.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading! **This was probably the most fun I've had thus far in my writing. Would you think me terribly vain if I admitted I made myself laugh? Let me know your thoughts and pretty please review. :)****


	18. Chapter 18

**Sheldon**

"Penny and I decided to keep the couch here."

Sheldon looked over at Leonard, confused.

"Where else would it be?"

Leonard raised his eyebrows. "At Penny's apartment…with the rest of my stuff."

Sheldon looked affronted. "What do you mean with the rest of your stuff? The couch isn't yours. It's a communal piece of furniture…" He did a double take. "You would have taken my _spot_ away?"

Leonard sighed. "Ok first off…yes, the couch is mine. I bought it. And secondly no. That is the point. We decided to keep it here."

"But there was an actual discussion regarding the issue! You actually considered removing my spot from this apartment." Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "That's a strike for you."

Leonard scoffed. "What for? Being nice to you? Leaving _my_ couch behind?"

"I already said…it's not _your_ couch. It's in the communal space, therefore it's a communal piece of property."

"Oh well, by that logic, I could have been using your desk as my personal table all this time."

"Absolutely not!"

"Well, if, as you said, all items here are communal, then it would have been fair game."

Sheldon glared at Leonard, taking in a deep breath, trying to implement Kolinahr.

"Don't make me give you another strike!"

"I'm still debating the first one! I'm trying to do something _nice _for you and yet _I'm_ the bad guy!"

Leonard glared back at Sheldon, who opened his mouth to reply, when Penny and Amy came through the door.

"What the _hell_ is going on in here? We could hear you yelling from my apartment."

Leonard turned to Penny and gave an exasperated sigh. "Oh nothing. Just Sheldon being Sheldon."

"Ah. Of course."

Sheldon turned to Penny. "And just _what _is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing sweetie." Penny smiled at Sheldon in what he perceived to be a condescending manner. He detested when she did that. In what universe was she in any position to view him with any condescension?

Howard came strolling through the door, followed closely by Raj and Bernadette. "What's with all the yelling? We could hear you from a couple flights down."

Leonard turned and answered. "Sheldon acting insane as usual."

"Ah yes. Of course." Howard replied. Raj nodded in understanding, while Bernadette replied with a non-committal "mmm".

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not being insane. I'm being perfectly logical…"

Amy interrupted him. "Sheldon, while I would normally stand back to admire as you verbally outwitted each of our friends here…" Everyone rolled their eyes, "I think the wisest course of action at this moment would be to desist from arguing. I believe it would be counter-productive to anger all of our friends right before they are to help us carry all of my belongings up several flights of stairs."

Sheldon looked down at Amy, who was standing unusually close to him. He saw the logic in her argument. "What a shrewd observation Amy." He smiled at her and she returned it with a grin that made his stomach drop. Hmm. It had been a while since that had happened.

"Hold on a minute." Howard looked confused. "What do you mean _all_ of your belongings…where are the movers?"

"I didn't have any movers. I had asked my extremely muscular cousins Brad and Tadd to help, but they only had enough time to load the items in the moving truck."

Penny raised her eyebrows. "Brad and Tadd?...and wait…you have muscular cousins?" She nodded thoughtfully. Leonard did a double take. Penny smiled and pinched his cheek playfully.

Amy nodded. "Yes. They are twins and have a rather unhealthy addiction to the gym. I believe their reason for abandoning me mid-move was that their spin class was going to start in twenty minutes."

Howard looked incredulous. "So wait. Let me get this straight. Not only are we moving all of Leonard's stuff out of here and across the hall, but we're going to have to move all of Amy's furniture up three flights of stairs?" He looked around at Leonard, Amy, and Sheldon in turn. "Please tell me you're joking."

Amy shrugged. "Sorry."

Sheldon looked at the time and realized it was now 9:04 in the morning. "Let's quit all this yacking and get to moving people. It's 9:04. We're four minutes behind schedule." He turned to Leonard. "And don't think I don't remember your strike." He shook his head and mumbled to himself, "…actually thought he would take my spot."

He walked over to his desk and grabbed a clipboard and pen. "Alright. We're going to divide into teams. We will begin with Leonard's belongings of course. Amy, Bernadette, Howard. You will be moving the boxes of comic books, lamps, and any other light lifting that you can find. Raj, Penny, and Leonard can move the heavier boxed items and the furniture."

Penny rolled her eyes. "And just what are you going to be doing?"

Sheldon looked at her in surprise. "Supervising of course."

"Hold on a minute," Howard said. "Why am I on the list with Amy and Bernadette to do the light lifting?"

Everyone looked over at Howard.

He looked affronted. "Hey! Raj and Leonard are no body builders either. If they're able to move furniture then I can too."

"Aw, Howie," cooed Bernadette (Sheldon hated when she did that), "Amy and I will let you carry the drawers from Leonard's dresser if you like? We can keep the clothes in them too!"

Leonard cleared his throat. "Um. Actually, the clothes are already packed."

"And hey wait a minute! Why am _I_ on the list of people set to do the heavy lifting Sheldon?" Penny raised her eyebrows at him.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "I would think that would be obvious Penny. Your corn fed Nebraskan physique matched with that athletic butch spirit probably makes you the strongest person in this room."

Penny scoffed and Leonard said "Sheldon!"

"What?" He looked between them. "You two really need to recognize a compliment when you hear one."

Sheldon heard Howard say behind him "That's what I was wondering too."

Raj had his hand against Howard's ear and was apparently whispering something. Howard directed his question at Sheldon. "Why do you get to be supervisor? Why do we have to do all the work?"

"Well _someone_ has to keep you folks on schedule and make sure the work is done correctly." He looked at the time again. "It is already 9:13 and you're still not working…"

"Which means you're doing a piss poor job," Penny interjected.

Sheldon glared at her. It was not _his_ fault if they spent an inordinate amount of time challenging his leadership.

Penny rolled her eyes, "Sheldon, we're not going to do all the work while you sit in your spot yelling orders. You're helping."

"I object!" Sheldon didn't have the upper body strength needed for vigorous work…and he didn't want to help anyways.

"I don't care. You're helping. Leonard is your friend and soon-to-be-ex-roommate and Amy is your girlfriend. Man up."

Sheldon looked around at the group, stopping at Amy last. Even she just shrugged at him. "She has a point Sheldon."

Sheldon pursed his lips. "I'm unhappy."

He looked around the group again but didn't see anyone giving him a sympathetic look. He detested manual labor. Theoretical physicists didn't _do_ manual labor. Their labor was of the mind. _I'll bet Albert Einstein never had to put up with tedious situations like this_.

He felt someone grab his hand and looked down to find Amy standing close to him again. She was tugging on his arm. What was she doing? He looked down at her in confusion and noticed that she was standing on her toes. She continued to pull his arm. Why would she be on her toes and pulling on his arm.

"Sheldon I'd like to whisper something to you, but I can't reach your ear."

Oh. He didn't like it when people put their germy breath on his ear…but seeing as he had exchanged kisses with Amy on multiple other occasions in the past six months, he didn't see why her breath in his ear should make much of a difference. He bent to the side so that her lips could reach his ear.

Their friends were shuffling awkwardly as Amy put her other hand up to his ear and whispered, "If you help with the moving we can watch all six _Star Wars_ movies in a marathon tomorrow." Her breath on his ear sent a little involuntary shiver through his body. That was curious.

He straightened up. "Ok, fine. I'll help."

The other five of the group exchanged surprised looks. He heard Penny whisper to Leonard, "What the hell did she say to him?"

* * *

><p>As expected, the day was a harrowing experience for Sheldon; both of his mind and body. He had never lifted so much in his life. His entire body hurt and yet all he could do was lay on his bed, willing his body to move towards the shower.<p>

The apartment now looked different. He didn't like it. Instead of Leonard living in the bedroom down the hall from him, it was now a girl…and there were feminine products taking up nearly fifty percent of the bathroom. _And_ there was an extra couch in the communal living space with an afghan thrown over the end. It looked inviting…No he didn't like it at all.

He turned on his side and looked at the clock. It was 8:53 p.m. He really needed to shower but still couldn't manage to make his body move off the bed. He curled his knees up, thinking about the fact that Leonard was now living across the hall; about how things had changed…

He jerked awake when he heard a shriek. He was completely disoriented. He looked at the clock. It said 2:39. Was that a.m. or p.m.? He looked around and realized it was dark. Must be a.m. He looked down at himself and realized he was still in his clothes…and that he was rather stiff. What had happened?

He heard another shriek, longer this time. It scared him. What was going on? Who was shrieking? Was there an attacker in the house? He panicked for a moment and briefly considered his options before hearing another shriek and the sound of something hitting the floor. He didn't know what to do. Who was shrieking? Should he call the police?

He decided to text Leonard to see if he was being murdered in his sleep, but when he grabbed out his phone, he finally remembered that Leonard no longer lived in the apartment; that it was he and Amy now.

Amy! Amy was the one shrieking! Panic set in. What if someone was trying to murder her? What should he do? Should he try to save her? What if he got killed in the process? He heard another shriek, this time lasting a full 5 seconds.

Before he quite knew what he was doing, Sheldon threw open his door and ran down to Amy's bedroom. He didn't even knock before he threw open the door. He looked around, but the only person he saw was Amy, and she was currently still shrieking and thrashing around on the bed. He quickly took in the scene. Most of her stuff was still in boxes, but he saw that a lamp was on the floor. This was likely the thud he had heard.

He didn't know what to do. Was she having a nightmare? Were these the night terrors she mentioned so long ago? What was he supposed to do? When people were sleepwalking you weren't supposed to wake them up. But Amy wasn't sleepwalking. What was the protocol for night terrors?

Sheldon's heart was racing and his nerves were becoming more and more frayed as Amy continued to scream. He decided to see if he could wake her up.

He cleared his throat. "Amy?"

She continued to shriek.

He drew closer to the bed, unsure whether touching her would make it better or worse. He decided to speak a little louder. "Amy?...wake up."

It didn't work. Amy was still thrashing and shrieking every ten seconds now.

What was it that Penny had said Amy told her to do? Oh yes…pin her down and stroke her hair.

Sheldon swallowed. His fear was threatening to get the better of him. He didn't know how he was going to pin her down. Did he lay down on top of her? That thought made him recoil slightly. What if she started punching him and scratching his eyes out?

He took a deep breath. _Think Cooper! You can do this! What is the most logical way to restrain someone?_ And then he had it. He would grab her from behind. He would be able to pin her arms to her sides…although she could still kick him…but he would worry about that if the time came.

He walked quickly to the other side of her bed. Although by the time he got there, she had already thrashed so that she was facing him. Well…he couldn't keep going to the opposite side of the bed. Amy was still screaming and he needed to stop her.

He paused. How did he grab her? He supposed he would have to get in to the bed. Luckily she thrashed away from him at that moment, leaving a space for him to climb into the bed. He jumped in quickly and grabbed Amy from behind.

It was difficult to get both of her arms pinned to her sides, especially when she bit him as he was trying to grab her hand. He almost let go of her, but remembered that he had to stop her shrieking. He managed to get a firm hold with both his arms around her, but she was still thrashing her legs and shrieking. He used one of his legs to try and pin down her legs. He was acutely aware of just how much of Amy he was touching. It was…distracting.

But she was still shrieking. How did he stop her shrieking? What was he forgetting? He thought back to what Penny had said…oh yes! He needed to stroke Amy's hair. But how did he do that and retain his grip on her?

He turned them both so that they were on their side in an almost spooning position and used the position to pin Amy's right arm against the bed so that he could free his to stroke her hair.

He did like her hair…He stroked it gently. Amy continued to scream out but he noticed there was less intensity and that her body had started to relax. Perhaps if he tried talking to her again, she would wake up.

He stroked her hair again. "Who's a good Amy…"

Suddenly her body went limp. He paused, unsure of what had happened. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?

Amy started trying to move her head. "Sheldon?...what are you doing?"

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Amy? Are you all right?"

"Yes…why are you holding me in a vice grip and stroking my hair?"

He relaxed his grip and removed his leg from atop hers. She turned around so that she was facing him. They were very close. His old friends tachycardia and shortness of breath returned. He mentally shook himself. He needed to focus on the matter at hand.

"Sheldon?"

He looked at her, so close to him. "You were screaming. Loudly. And thrashing around in the bed. I remembered that you had once said you had night terrors and that you told Penny to pin you down and stroke your hair…so that's what I was doing. You bit me."

She didn't answer him at first, only blinking.

After a few moments she simply said, "I'm sorry."

Sheldon frowned. "You're sorry for what?" Were the night terrors something she could control?

"For biting you." Oh. "…and waking you up."

"Amy, your apology is unnecessary. I can only assume that you have no control over such things."

Amy nodded. "That is correct. But I should have warned you that new places bring them out more frequently. And I could have told you myself what to do." She reached out a hand and found his, intertwining their fingers. He squeezed her hand. He was really beginning to like the feeling of holding hands.

Where had that come from? It must be because it's the middle of the night. He wasn't thinking clearly. And he was rattled from the experience. People did crazy things when they were on adrenaline highs…and yet he found his eyes drawn to her mouth. He saw her catch her breath and looked at her eyes quickly, acutely embarrassed to be so close to her and caught staring at her lips.

He sat up quickly. "I should go back to bed…now that you're alright." He started to get up, but Amy didn't let go of his hand.

He turned back to face her. "Amy…you have to let go of my hand."

She looked as if she was considering something. She looked down at their hands. "Sheldon…I have a proposal…"

Oh no. He wondered where this was headed. His already fast heartbeat increased even more. "Alright…"

"Would you…stay here tonight? With me…in…in my bed?" She looked up at him. "It might help me to avoid any more night terrors if you're here."

He eyed her suspiciously. Was that really true? He would have to google it the first chance he got.

"Alright…" he said a little cautiously. He wasn't comfortable with this at all.

He lay back down. She was still facing him and still holding his hand. He lay on his back, unsure what to do; feeling that sleep was very far away.

Suddenly Amy's face was right above his. She put a hand on his cheek and then kissed him quickly.

"Thank you."

She lay back down on her back.

Sheldon stared at the ceiling, unsure of what he was feeling. Amy was still holding his hand, and was laying no more than a foot away from him, and she had just kissed him…and his tachycardia was showing no signs of slowing.

He turned his head to look over at Amy. She turned her head to look at him.

"You're welcome Amy."

They both turned their heads back to stare at the ceiling.

Sheldon lay there for a long time, unmoving, listening to Amy breathing. After awhile he realized that her pattern of breathing had become more rhythmic and that she was likely asleep.

He looked over at her. Living with Amy was already proving to be very different than living with Leonard.

**A/N: Thank you as always for reading. I'd like to give a shout out to Glynna who totally made my day when she said that I made her day when I updated. :) Please let me know your thoughts. Each review I receive makes my day that much brighter :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Has it really been 4 days since my last update? I realized yesterday that it had been 3 days since I had last written. Weird how time flies. Anyways, thank you as always for reading. I feel obligated to warn you that there are spoilers for the Star Wars franchise in here. Enjoy :)**

**Amy**

When Amy woke up it took her a moment to realize where she was. She looked around at her many boxes of belongings, now regretting that she had said she would spend the day watching science fiction movies instead of unpacking.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:03 a.m. As she was contemplating what to eat for breakfast, since she had yet to go to the grocery store, the events of the middle of the night came rushing back to her.

She looked over at the other side of the bed, but of course it was empty. Sheldon likely had been up for at least an hour…perhaps earlier, as he had fallen asleep in his bed at least a half hour earlier than his usual bedtime.

She recalled waking up with Sheldon's arms and legs wrapped around her. It had been a disconcerting, and yet thrilling, way to wake up. She had been slightly embarrassed when he had stated that she had bit him and yet he hadn't seemed much bothered by it; she supposed she shouldn't be either. She wondered briefly if she had had any further night terrors, but since she had not again awoken with Sheldon's arms and legs wrapped around her, she supposed she must have slept the rest of the night without incident.

She wondered at his capitulation with regards to sharing her bed for the remainder of the night. She had expected him to resist, but instead he had immediately agreed. She also had not failed to notice that he made no mention of the Relationship Agreement when she had grabbed his hand without asking, nor when she had kissed him in thanks. In both instances she had only realized after the fact that she had been in violation of the agreement. She had expected him to immediately quote the violations to her, but instead he had said nothing, allowing her to continue holding his hand until she had fallen asleep. It was a very curious turn of events.

She was jolted out of her reverie by a series of subdued knocks on her door.

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy."

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy."

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy."

She threw off her covers and walked over to open her door.

Sheldon grinned at her. "Good morning Amy."

"Good morning"

"I see you are already awake. Excellent. If we are to watch all six _Star Wars_ films today we need to get started by 7:30 a.m. There is a total viewing time of thirteen hours and fourteen minutes and of course we have to allot time for bathroom breaks and obtaining meals. If we start by 7:30 a.m. then, including the breaks, we should be able to finish before bedtime."

Amy stared at him blankly. "Thirteen hours and fourteen minutes?" What had she agreed to? She was now going to spend an entire day watching science fiction when she had several other more important things she could be doing.

Sheldon nodded enthusiastically. "I know. Isn't it exciting? I've already prepared breakfast for us. I know you have yet to go to the grocery store and we can't afford to wait for you to do so before starting the films."

Amy closed her eyes. She was feeling a little overwhelmed…for more than one reason. She had only just woken up, after a night in bed with her boyfriend, to find that he had cooked for her, and that she was now going to be subjected to over thirteen hours of films she had never before had a desire to view.

"Amy? Come on. It's already 7:17 and you still have to decide which order to watch the movies in."

"What do you mean? There's more than one order to watch them in?"

Sheldon nodded. "Oh yes. There are two different schools of thought on the proper way to view the films. You see, they were technically filmed out of order. The original movie is actually the fourth in the series and as such the older movies constitute episodes four, five, and six, whereas the newer movies constitute episodes one, two, and three."

"Well, wouldn't I want to view them in the order in which they were released?"

"That is the preferred method for most people. There are certain elements of surprise that would be ruined if you viewed them in chronological order. However, there are those that prefer a more chronological view of the events."

Amy was confused…and also very apathetic regarding viewing order. "Well which would you prefer?"

"Yes, that is in interesting question. My first thought was to of course have you view them in movie release order (that would be four, five, six, one, two, three), because, as I said before, there are certain elements of surprise that would be ruined. But then I realized two inherent flaws with that plan. The first being that after viewing the older movies and completely loving them, you would then be forced to sit through the tedious movie that is episode one. It would be quite the jarring experience I would imagine, and could indeed shake your enjoyment of the other three movies. However, if we go in chronological order, then you would view the worst movie first and by the time we get to the original films you would have forgotten all about it and would be able to enjoy them for the glorious movies that they are."

Amy blinked at him. "So which do you prefer?"

Sheldon raised his eyebrows. "This isn't about what _I_ prefer Amy. I gave you the list of pros and cons for each viewing style, but I have decided to let you decide. It will be the first of what can only be many viewings of the series and I wouldn't want to deprive you of the decision."

Amy sighed. _Now_, when Amy couldn't care less, was the time when Sheldon decided to be selfless? "I believe I would prefer chronological order."

"Interesting choice."

"What? Is that not the right choice?"

Sheldon shook his head and held up his hands. "Far be it from me to deprive you of your decision to watch the movies in the wrong order. If the wrong order is the preferred way for you to watch it, then we will do it the wrong way."

Amy frowned. "Then let's watch it in release order."

"Now Amy, the decision is entirely yours. If you want to watch it chronologically, even if that isn't the way that George Lucas would prefer you to watch it, then don't feel obligated to conform to social convention."

It was too early for this. "No. I've changed my mind. I want to watch it in the order it was intended to be watched in. We shall start with the first movie which was released."

Sheldon smiled. "Excellent choice. Now hurry up, it is now 7:23, leaving you only seven minutes in which to void your bladder and evacuate your bowels before starting the film. I will have your breakfast waiting for you on the coffee table. What would you like to drink? I would advise against caffeinated beverages as the first scheduled bathroom break will not be for one hundred and twenty-five minutes."

"Herbal tea and orange juice will be fine."

"Are you sure about the orange juice? We are having pancakes. Orange juice does not go well with syrup."

Amy frowned. "Fine. Milk please."

Sheldon, missing Amy's annoyance, grinned again and said "Of course. I shall see you in…" he looked at his watch "six minutes and nine seconds." He turned around and walked back down the hall.

As Amy walked into the bathroom she reflected on just how excited Sheldon appeared. Even after all the time she has spent with him, it was still baffling to her how a man of his intelligence found so much enjoyment in a movie about make believe creatures.

By the time she joined Sheldon, with twenty-three seconds to spare, in the living room, she had decided that the best way to enjoy her day was to have an open mind. Perhaps she would end up liking the films. After all, she and Sheldon had so much in common. Perhaps she should give the films a chance.

* * *

><p>"I'm confused…where does Spock fit in to this?"<p>

Sheldon paused the movie, turning to look at her in disbelief. They were about 45 minutes into the first movie. "That's _Star Trek_…this is _Star Wars._"

"Oh."

"That's all you have to say? Oh?"

"Sorry. I guess I didn't see the difference."

"Didn't see the _difference_?" Sheldon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes back he said, "They are not the same thing in any way, shape, or form."

"What do you mean? They both take place is space right?"

Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "Yes. That is the _only_ thing they have in common…_Star Trek _was originally a television series."

"Oh. So it wasn't a movie?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "The original series ran from 1966-1969. After its cancellation there were a series of seven different films that ran from…I can't believe you thought Mr. Spock was on _Star Wars!_"

He appeared to be upset. Perhaps she had best apologize. "My apologies Sheldon. I did not realize what I was asking. Thank you for clearing that up."

He looked ready to continue protesting so she pointed out that they were now several minutes behind schedule and she didn't want to have to forgo the bathroom break between the first two movies.

* * *

><p>"Wouldn't Luke likely suffocate if he is placed face first into the intestines of that creature?"<p>

Sheldon looked over at Amy, shook his head and didn't answer the question.

"What? Well…wouldn't he?" It seemed like a valid question to Amy…

* * *

><p>"So the empire was defeated by overgrown teddy bears?"<p>

Sheldon's lips thinned. "They're not 'teddy bears'. They're called Ewoks."

"But doesn't it seem strange to you that a group of bear-like creatures with nothing more than sticks, rocks, and rope are able to defeat those who have thick armor and blaster guns?"

Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Really?"

"Fine. Yes. But that's not the point."

"What's the point?"

Sheldon turned around to continue watching the movie. "Just watch the movie."

Amy shrugged and turned around to continue watching.

* * *

><p>"Why did they have to burn Qui-Gon? Why didn't he disappear like the other guy did in the older films?"<p>

"For once you ask a valid question."

Amy waited for a response. "Well…why did they?"

Sheldon turned to her. "That is a question best directed at George Lucas."

"…doesn't the inconsistency bother you?"

Sheldon's lips thinned again. He turned away from her. "Just watch the movie."

* * *

><p>"I find it very difficult to believe that the scrawny, whiny boy on the screen eventually becomes the being that everyone fears in the later films."<p>

"Indeed." He looked over at her as she opened her mouth to ask another question. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Amy…just watch the movie."

* * *

><p>"Surely George Lucas can't expect people to believe that a woman who appears to be six months pregnant by appearance gave birth to not one but two completely healthy infants and then proceeded to die, not from child birth complications, but from a lack of will to live."<p>

"Indeed. It is a rather rash emotional response on her part. That is what she gets for falling in love."

Amy looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Really."

Sheldon looked baffled. "Yes. Really. If either or both of them had had better control over their emotions then Anakin would not have rebelled and the dark side would never have taken over…the movie is almost over. Please just continue to watch."

That was an informative perspective.

Amy turned back around to finish the rest of the movie. She was glad the day was almost over. It had been exhausting watching all the films in one sitting. When it was finally over, she stood up, feeling very drained, her body aching, likely from sitting in essentially the same position all day long.

"I believe I am going to go to bed early. I think I may still be sore from yesterday. And the day's antics have left me mentally drained."

Sheldon nodded and Amy went to go prepare for bed, hoping she never had to watch all six _Star Wars_ films again…at least not all at the same time.

* * *

><p>She woke up suddenly, realizing it was dark and that she couldn't move. She looked down and saw a pair of arms around her upper body. She became aware of another warm body incredibly close to hers.<p>

"Sheldon?"

He relaxed his grip, as he had the night before. She turned around to look at him, a mere six inches from her face.

"You were having more night terrors."

She noticed that his respiratory rate had increased. She felt her own respiratory rate increase and felt her heart start pounding. Her brain felt a little foggy and when she moved her joints protested. She supposed that was what happened when you woke in the middle of the night, not quite two days after lifting heavy furniture up several flights of stairs.

"I apologize again for waking you."

"As I said last night, your apology is unnecessary…although if this becomes a nightly routine, it will greatly alter my sleep patterns and could lead to cognitive impairment from a lack of proper REM cycles."

Amy found it difficult to concentrate with him so close to her. And it didn't help that they were in the dark and lying on her bed. She couldn't help but focus on his lips while he was talking. It was really quite distracting.

"Amy?"

She looked up at his eyes. "Perhaps you had best go back to bed Sheldon. I will be fine now."

He frowned in confusion. "Wouldn't it be best if I stayed here tonight as I did last night? You had no further night terrors. Perhaps my presence will again result in the remainder of the night passing without incident."

Amy was surprised. _Sheldon_ was proposing staying in her bed with her? "Ok."

Neither one moved. Amy thought that it was probably best if she rolled over, because she still had a hard time concentrating on anything but Sheldon's mouth when he was so close to her, but she couldn't make her body obey her orders. She continued to stare.

After a few minutes, Sheldon finally spoke. "Amy?"

She looked up at his eyes.

"I can't fall asleep when I have so little space and you seem to be showing no signs of moving over to allow me more room."

Amy looked around her and realized that the two of them were indeed occupying only one third of the total bed space.

"My apologies." She started to move over, but decided at that moment to kiss Sheldon. She didn't think she would be able to sleep otherwise.

She turned back around quickly, grabbed his face, and kissed him, lingering for a moment. Then she pulled back, blinked and said "Good night."

She rolled over, smiling to herself, and fell back to sleep.

When she woke up in the morning it was to find that her body was aching and her head was completely fuzzy.

Oh no. She turned to look at the man beside her.

"Sheldon?"

His eyes popped open as if he had already been awake and he turned his head to look at her.

"I think I'm sick."

**A/N: Thanks again for reading.**This is one of those slightly filler chapters. Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed it.** Please remember to review. I so enjoy them. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sheldon**

Sheldon threw off the covers and immediately leapt out of bed, using the collar of his shirt to cover his mouth.

"What do you mean you're sick?" he asked frantically. Oh dear. Oh no. He had spent the entire day yesterday next to a carrier of some horrific pathogen. _And_ he had slept in the same bed!

He gasped, letting go of his shirt collar and pointing at Amy. "_You kissed me last night!_"

Amy gave him what appeared to be a sympathetic look. "I'm very sorry Sheldon. I did not realize at the time that I was ill."

He glared at her and immediately pulled his collar back up. "Well, that does me little good _now _does it? The germs dancing around on your lips are now in the process of battling with my immune system." He groaned, trying not to picture the endless variety of bacteria and/or viruses now happily wandering around in his blood stream. Sometimes an eidetic memory really _was_ a curse.

"_This_ is exactly why I was against kissing in the first place! Look at what has happened. I've been infected. I could be dying as we speak. And all because I decided to play the hero to my proverbial aesthetically pleasing princess! The Mario to my Princess Peach! The Link to my Zelda! Why have these video games led me astray? Oh the horror!"

He left Amy's room and ran into the bathroom. He didn't know what to do first. Shower? Medically induce vomiting? Rinse with mouthwash? He didn't relish the thought of vomiting. Perhaps the mouthwash rinse with a course of antibiotics would do. If he recalled correctly, and he had an eidetic memory so of course he did, he still had several bottles of antibiotics in the medicine cabinet. His doctor had been so kind as to provide enough prescriptions to last through at least ten different bacterial scares. In fact he had almost insisted Sheldon take all the prescriptions, stating something about not wanting to see him in his office so frequently. Sheldon had been touched by the show of care for his well-being.

But what was he doing? He was standing here in the bathroom, thinking about his caring doctor when the bacteria and/or viruses were multiplying at an exponential rate in his system. He went to the cabinet and grabbed out the mouthwash. He swished it around for a full minute, relishing the burn. After spitting it out, he decided to rinse again. He was somewhat pacified when he realized the second rinsing didn't burn quite as much as the first…although, truth be told, by the time he spit out the second time his mouth was almost completely numb, so perhaps the lack of burn was due to the lack of feeling rather than that the bacteria had been banished.

He grabbed out one of the bottles of antibiotics, recalling how he had had to take the prescriptions to ten different drug stores to have them filled, as every single one of the pharmacists had insisted they could only fill one at a time. As he swallowed his first pill he started to feel his panic decrease.

Then he looked down at his hands and realized that he hadn't yet washed them…and then he looked down at his clothes realizing that they were also infected. He would have to burn them…or at least wash them in hot water. He quickly stripped off his clothes and jumped towards the shower.

He turned the water as hot as he could stand it, and began his rigorous showering procedure. After twenty minutes of scrubbing he finally felt clean. He was in control. He had rinsed out his mouth, showered the germs off of him, and had begun his prophylactic course of antibiotics.

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel, taking his time to meticulously dry off. Only when he was completely dry did he realize that, in his haste, he had forgotten to bring his change of clothes into the bathroom with him.

He eyed the clothes he had discarded on the floor warily. It was useless to put _those_ back on as he would then have to re-shower. He sighed. He would just have to wrap the towel back around himself and walk back to his room.

He grabbed his towel and wrapped it back around himself. When he was satisfied that it was securely around his waist, he opened the door and started to head towards his room. When he was a few steps outside of the bathroom, Amy's door opened and she also started to walk out.

Sheldon's eyes opened wide in shock and he leapt back against the wall. Amy's eyes also grew big and her mouth popped open. Why was _she _shocked? She was already infected. It's not like she had to worry that _his_ germs would leap off and infect her…

He frowned. "Amy, what are you doing outside of your room?"

Her mouth opened and closed several times before she started sputtering, "I…tea…hot tea…you…startled…I…"

Oh dear lord. She had become incoherent. It was worse than he thought. Perhaps she would need to be taken to Urgent Care. Perhaps he should get dressed…dressed…

He looked down at himself and realized he was pressed against the wall with nothing but a towel around his waist.

His head popped up quickly and he immediately crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Amy you should not be outside of your bedroom. You will spread your germs everywhere." He uncrossed his arms long enough to shoo her in the direction of her room. "Go back in there."

Amy looked at the floor. "But I would like some tea…and I'll have to use the restroom as well. We only have one. I can't stay in my room indefinitely. And, I'm really…not feeling…"

He saw her start to sway on the spot. Oh my. She was going to faint!

Without thinking it through he rushed over to grab her as she started to fall. "Amy!"

She looked up at him through unfocused eyes. "Sorry. I don't know what happened…"

He felt her forehead. She felt hot. Dear lord she had a fever. "Alright, you need to go back to bed. The cause of your near faint is likely dehydration. I will go make your hot tea for you. Do you think you can walk?"

She nodded. He let go of her, but she started to sway again. He bent over and grabbed her around the waist, putting one of her arms around his neck. "I'll help you get back to bed."

He tried not to think about all the germs he was in contact with. He turned his head every time he wished to breathe in so as to limit the amount of Amy's germs he would inhale. He would have to take another shower, and, at this rate, do a load of laundry. He was sure to run out of clean towels before Amy got better.

And speaking of towels, his now felt much looser around his waist than it had previously. He was not one to believe in prayer, but he found himself praying to whatever deity would listen that his towel would remain in place.

When they reached Amy's bed he let go of her so that she could crawl under the covers. He straightened and started backing away, holding his towel. Amy flicked her eyes over at him quickly, but looked away just as quickly.

"Thank you for your help."

He had backed to the doorframe by this point. He resisted the urge to flee for a moment longer.

"I do not wish to expose myself any more than necessary. Is there anything else you would like from the kitchen while I am in there?"

Amy thought for a moment. "Perhaps you should bring in several water bottles as well."

"Is there any food you would prefer?"

She shook her head. "Food does not sound at all appealing. The liquids will be fine." She lay her head on her pillow and shut her eyes.

Sheldon took that as his cue to go and immediately dashed for the kitchen. He made sure that his towel was once again secure around his waist and was about to open the refrigerator door when he realized that his hands were infected. He grabbed the hand sanitizer by the kitchen sink. After he was satisfied that his hands were thoroughly disinfected, he decided that he had best get the teapot going for the tea before attempting to grab all of the water.

He was in the middle of setting down several water bottles on the kitchen island when Leonard unexpectedly walked through the door.

"Hey Sheldon, are you ready for wor…what the hell?"

"Good morning Leonard. I don't believe I shall be going to work today. Amy is sick and in need of assistance. And as I spent last night in her bed and allowed her to kiss me, I believe it is best that I remain here. My system is already compromised and I don't wish to further subject it to all the germs roaming around the university."

Leonard looked at him in disbelief. "Where are your clothes?"

Sheldon was opening his mouth to reply when Penny came in. "Leonard, my car broke down." She did a double take. "_Please_ tell me you are wearing pants Sheldon."

"I am not."

Penny shuddered. "You're standing at your counter _naked_?" She turned to Leonard. "Remind me _never_ to eat over here again."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Don't be absurd. Of course I'm not naked. I have a towel wrapped around my waist."

"Why do you have a towel wrapped around your waist?"

"I forgot my clothes before showering."

"So you decided not to wear _any_?"

Sheldon gave an exasperated sigh. "Of course I'm going to wear clothes. But, as I left the bathroom to retrieve them, a sick Amy Farrah Fowler stepped out of her room and nearly fainted. I was forced to help her back to her room and volunteered to make her hot tea and bring her several water bottles. As I will have to discard this towel for a fresh one and didn't wish to contaminate any of my other clothes, I decided to keep this one on until such time as I could again shower."

Penny looked at him in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. Amy is sick. And you helped her…you _actually_ touched her."

Leonard shook his head. "You haven't heard anything yet. He slept in her bed last night." Penny's mouth fell open. "And apparently they were kissing."

"_Shut up!_" Penny looked at Sheldon like he was an alien specimen.

"We weren't 'kissing'. It was one kiss. And I was in Amy's bed to help her with her night terrors. And neither of us realized at that time that she was ill."

Penny's mouth fell open further. She looked at Leonard and then back at Sheldon. "So wait. I'm still confused. Why aren't you freaking out? Good Lord. Every time Leonard was sick you started spraying Lysol all over."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "I never 'freak out'. But your wondering if I have taken precautions proves that you weren't listening. I did state I had taken a shower. And I have also thoroughly rinsed with mouthwash and started my prophylactic course of antibiotics. I was waiting until I gave Amy her tea and water before sanitizing the rest of the apartment. It wouldn't do much good to sanitize it now, when I am going to go back into her room to pick up further germs to spread about.

Penny looked over at Leonard. "I can't believe he's willing to go into her room."

Leonard nodded. "Yeah. Crazy what love will do to you."

Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "Leonard, I believe Penny stated her car had broken down. Likely she came up here to request a ride to work. And as I am no longer in need of your assistance, I suggest you leave now."

He grabbed the tray of water bottles and tea and walked away without waiting for them to leave.

As he neared Amy's room he felt his heart start to beat faster. It was taking all his mental strength not to run in the opposite direction. Then he had an idea. He set the tray down on the floor and ran into his room, careful to touch as little as possible. He grabbed a pair of the latex gloves he uses for reading and put them on. Then he ran into the bathroom and reached into the back of the cabinet under the sink. Ah yes. Here it was. He had a box of hospital face masks. He grabbed one and placed it over his nose and mouth. There. Now he would be free to come and go from Amy's room with minimal exposure to germs.

He came back out into the hallway and picked the tray back up. He knocked on Amy's door, but received no response. He hoped she was alright. He gingerly opened the door and peaked his head inside. Amy appeared to be sleeping. He contemplated letting her sleep, but decided that it would be best if she drank something first and voided her bladder.

He walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder with his gloved hand. "Amy?"

Her eyes opened slowly and she stared at him without recognition for a few moments.

She frowned. "Sheldon?" He noticed that her voice was weak.

He nodded. "Yes. I brought your tea. I thought it would be best if you drank it and voided your bladder before continuing on with your rest. I shall have to sanitize the bathroom after you use it and would rather do so when I am already sanitizing the rest of the apartment."

Amy nodded slightly. "Good idea."

"Are you able to sit up?"

She nodded. "Yes. I should be able to." She used her hands to push herself into a seated position. Sheldon grabbed the tea and handed it to her.

"Shall I set the water bottles on your night stand here?"

Amy nodded again as she started to sip her tea. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes averted as she directed a question at him. "Sheldon, why are you still only in your towel?"

He shuffled uncomfortably. He had almost forgotten that he was still in a state of undress. He cleared his throat. "Well…I shall have to shower again to make sure that I am free of germs and as I did not wish to contaminate any of my clothes, and as the towel is already contaminated, I had decided to keep wearing it."

"Oh." Amy took another sip of her tea. Her eyes quickly flicked up to his face and then back to her teacup. "Where did you get the mask and gloves?"

"I had the masks left over from the Swine Flu scare. And you know that I keep a box of latex gloves next to my bed for reading purposes."

"I see." Her head started drooping. She weakly put her tea cup on the bedside table.

"Amy, you really should drink more."

She shook her head. "I don't think I can. I'm suddenly very hot and very tired." She threw off her covers.

"Perhaps we should take you to Urgent Care. You seem to be rather severely ill."

Amy shook her head. "No. I just need to sleep. I will be fine."

Sheldon sighed. "Very well then…but I will be monitoring your progression and if you start to get worse, I will insist you go. Let's get you to the bathroom to void your bladder."

"Sheldon, I don't need to urinate."

"Irrelevant. We will go and you will make an attempt. This will be in your best interest. You can void your bladder and thus allow yourself the maximum amount of time to rest before you need to leave the confines of your room again."

He walked over to her bed, once again resisting the urge to flee. He motioned for her to stand. "Come on. The sooner you go, the sooner you can resume sleeping."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, swaying a little on the spot. He reached out a gloved hand to steady her.

"Perhaps it would be best if you put your hand around my shoulders as before. I don't wish for you to faint on the way there."

She nodded, looking at the floor. When she made no move to comply, he raised her hand and put it around his shoulder himself. He then put his hand around her waist again and started moving forward.

The pace she kept was infuriatingly slow. But she kept insisting she was dizzy and couldn't go any faster.

When they reached the restroom Sheldon paused and frowned. "Will you be alright in there alone?"

Amy raised her head to look at him, eyebrows raised. "You are not going into the bathroom with me. I shall be fine." She removed her arm from around his shoulders and proceeded to shuffle into the bathroom. He waited impatiently for her to finish. He was getting more and more antsy to shower himself again and disinfect the apartment. The temporary high from his initial shower and his first antibiotic pill was starting to wear off and he was now realizing just how much he had touched Amy… even if he _was _wearing gloves and a mask.

When she finally came out, he immediately stepped forward and put her arm back around his shoulder.

"Ok, let's get you back to bed so I can begin disinfecting."

She nodded and they started the frustratingly slow trek back to her bedroom. When they again reached the bed she immediately lay down and closed her eyes. He gingerly grabbed her blankets and pulled them back up to cover her.

As he was walking out, eager to get back into the shower and begin to disinfect the apartment he heard Amy say, "Thank you Sheldon."

He nodded and closed the door.

**A/N: You guys, I am so overwhelmed by the reviews. I can't believe I'm at 250. Thank you SO MUCH! I actually had this chapter completed yesterday, but selfishly didn't post because I didn't want to update when the website was being weird and not sending out emails. But anyways, the extra time allowed me to go through it with a fine toothed comb and hopefully avoid the bagillion spelling errors I kept finding and fixing in my previous chapter. So annoying. Anyways, how did this note get so long? Please review. I'm not going to lie, the enormous amout of reviews was what motivated me to write this chapter so fast. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Wow. It's been a full week. Between life and writer's block time just got away from me. Thanks to all reviewers and hopefully there won't be the same problems this week as there were last week when I uploaded. Please enjoy. :)**

**Amy**

"What are you doing?"

Amy looked up to see Sheldon rush in at the opposite end of the hall, stop, and frown at her. She immediately recalled that the last time she had seen him he had been in a towel. Her heart rate increased, making her feel dizzy again. She grabbed her door frame to steady herself.

"I woke up from my nap wanting soup. I was on my way to the kitchen to see if I could find some."

Sheldon gave her his look of haughty derision. "Absolutely not." He pointed towards her. "Please return to your room. I can't have you wandering around infecting the entire apartment. I just finished sanitizing everything. Besides, you know that the revised Relationship Agreement states that when sick, said person is to be confined to their room for a minimum of twenty-four hours after a fever has broken, as well as after having two consecutive negative throat cultures spaced twelve hours apart."

Amy raised her eyebrows. She clearly hadn't been thinking properly when she agreed to that clause. Was she to be a prisoner in her own apartment? "Sheldon, you can't keep me locked in my room. I'll have to come out eventually."

"Of course you will. But not until you are well."

Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was starting to feel weak from standing, and she was still having hot and cold flashes, likely as a result of her febrile condition. And she wanted soup.

"What am I to do then? I have to eat, drink, and use the restroom. I can't do all of those things in my room."

Sheldon looked surprised. "Of course you can…well, I suppose voiding your bladder would not be included in that, although…" his expression grew thoughtful, "perhaps I could procure a chamber pot…"

"I'm not urinating in a chamber pot, Sheldon…and how can I eat or drink anything if you won't let me out of my room to procure said sustenance?"

Sheldon again looked surprised. "I will bring it to you of course." He shook his head. "Honestly Amy, did you really think I would leave you without food or beverages?"

It took a moment for her to process what he was saying. She frowned. "How will you bring me food? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of remaining uncontaminated?"

Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back, looking pleased with himself. "Yes. I too wondered how I would accomplish that, but I believe I have come up with a solution. In addition to continuing to use the gloves and masks every time I enter the room, I will also be utilizing my robe as protection. I shall hang it just inside your door, where I can reach in, grab it, and put it on just before entering and take it off just before leaving. That way I will avoid having to do laundry several more times this week. And also, I shall be using my spare pair of slippers, which I will also leave inside your room, for the same purpose."

Amy stared at him, an equal mixture of impressed and annoyed. Clearly he had thought of everything…although his practical approach to her illness wasn't very soothing. She frowned. "Has anyone ever informed you that by completely avoiding all germs you are critically impairing your immune system's ability to properly perform its primary function?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No. I have of course read the research, but I find it flawed."

Of course he does. Amy thought about responding, but she was getting weaker by the moment. Perhaps it would be best if she went to lie back down. She shrugged and turned around to head back to her bed, closing her door behind her.

As she lay on her bed, joints aching, shivering, and still in want of soup, she contemplated the last two days. For as slow as things usually move between her and Sheldon, the past two days had been somewhat of a whirlwind of events. She had moved in with her boyfriend, had woken up twice in the middle of the night to find his arms and legs wrapped around her, had spent over thirteen nearly miserable hours watching science fiction movies, and, most shockingly, had seen Sheldon in naught but a towel. And that's not to mention her current illness.

She thought about Sheldon in a towel and smiled to herself. She was glad she had convinced him she didn't need to go to Urgent Care. It had not been her illness that had caused her to nearly faint…or at least it had not _only_ been her illness. She supposed it had been her increase in heart rate coupled with her illness that was to blame for her near fainting spell. Her heart rate had increased so much at the spectacle of Sheldon's state of undress that she might as well have been running.

She rolled over on her side and pulled her knees up to her chest in a fetal position. She closed her eyes, smiled, and started replaying in her mind the various times he had walked in wrapped only in a towel.

She must have started dozing because Sheldon's voice interrupted her thoughts rather suddenly.

"Why are you smiling?"

Amy opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend, who was currently standing by her bed, wrapped in his robe, with his face mask and latex gloves in place.

"I was thinking about you in your towel."

Sheldon did a quick double take and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Perhaps a trip to Urgent Care is indeed in order. Why should thinking about me in a towel cause you to smile?"

Amy raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. He blinked several times, but didn't respond.

He cleared his throat and gestured to her night stand. "I brought you some soup. I didn't know which kind you would prefer, so I made chicken with little stars. It is what I prefer when I'm ill."

She looked over at her night stand, at the tray he had placed there. He had brought her soup, and she hadn't even directly asked him to. There was also tea and toast with the crusts cut off.

She looked up at him, touched. "Thank you." She didn't know if she felt up to eating the toast, but she appreciated the gesture.

"You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to leave this germ riddled room."

As he turned around to leave, Amy sighed. She supposed it was too much to hope for him to stay and talk with her while she ate her soup.

As he was getting ready to take off the robe he turned around again suddenly.

"I almost forgot…your comment regarding thinking of me in a towel distracted me. I brought in your phone and set it by your bed. I figured the easiest way for us to communicate would be through video chatting."

Amy was impressed. "What a clever idea. You do think of everything."

It was hard to tell with the mask over his mouth, but Amy thought he looked please with himself. "Of course."

Amy smiled at his back as he turned around to take off the robe and quickly leave the room.

* * *

><p>Amy spent the rest of the day alternately sleeping and chatting with Sheldon. Video chatting did prove to be an excellent way to communicate. Sheldon only had to enter her room when she requested sustenance but they were still able to hold their lengthy conversations.<p>

As she was brushing her teeth before going to bed that night, she wondered what would happen if she had more night terrors during the night. She couldn't imagine Sheldon willingly wrapping his arms and legs around her when she was still ill. She spit out her toothpaste and rinsed.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she called out. "Alright Sheldon, I have vacated the bathroom."

When she was about to close her bedroom door she saw Sheldon walk into the bathroom with his gloves and face mask and start spraying Lysol. She really was going to have to work on this obsessive germophobia of his…cleanliness was one thing, but this was ridiculous.

* * *

><p>Amy woke up in the morning feeling better, but still not fully well. Looking to either side of her she realized she was still alone; so either she had had no night terrors or Sheldon had decided to let her scream. She looked at her clock and saw that it was only just after 6:00 a.m. Why had she awoken so early? Then she heard a shout.<p>

"AMY!"

It was Sheldon. She wondered what to do. Why was he calling her name? Was he hurt? Was she to be allowed out of her room? It hadn't yet been twenty-four hours since her fever had broken. She decided to call his phone.

When he picked up, she noted that he didn't look well. "You rang?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm sick. I have a fever, my joints are achy, and my nose is stuffy." He pointed towards his screen at her. "This is all your fault."

"Actually Sheldon, it's all _your_ fault."

He scoffed. "How on earth is this _my_ fault? You were the one sick." He coughed. "It is because of my contact with _you_ that I have contracted whatever crazy disease you had."

"You mean the 'disease' I _have_. I'm still ill as well. And it _is_ your fault for trying so hard to keep yourself free of all germs. It is a well established fact that the way an immune system is strengthened is through its constant contact with germs. Naturally a person still gets sick on occasion, but it is the fact that you are so consistently trying to prevent yourself from coming in contact with germs that has led to your illness today. You have critically impaired your own immune system. Anyone else with a healthy functioning immune system who had taken all the precautions you had taken yesterday would not be sick today."

He narrowed his eyes again, sniffing. "I'm sick and you're giving me a lecture?"

Amy shook her head. "I was sick yesterday and that didn't stop you from yelling at me."

"I wasn't yelling at you…I was speaking with emphasis."

"Yes, an emphasis at an increased decibel rate." Amy thought for a moment. "If we're both sick, then I'm going to leave my room today."

Sheldon looked pleased. "Excellent. You can take care of me."

Amy frowned in confusion. "Take care of you?"

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. I took care of you yesterday, so you can take care of me today."

"Sheldon, I'm still sick myself."

"But you're well enough to leave your room?"

"Well enough to go lie on the couch and watch cable while sipping tea."

"Oh excellent. I'd love some tea. Please make me some as well. You already know I prefer honey in it."

Amy sighed. "You know, you could join me on the couch…you can even pick what we watch."

Sheldon coughed and sniffed as he considered for a moment. "Would you rub Vaporub on my chest?"

Amy raised her eyebrows. "You want me to rub your chest? Yes."

"And would you call Penny and convince her to come over and sing me Soft Kitty?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, I will join you in the living room."

"Ok. I'll call Penny and see you out there."

"Ok…and don't forget about making my tea."

Amy rolled her eyes and hung up. She dialed Penny's number, knowing her friend would be unhappy at being awoken at this hour.

When Penny answered her words were slurred together. "Amy? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need you to come over here and sing Soft Kitty to Sheldon."

There was a pause. "What?"

"Sheldon is ill and is requesting you to sing him Soft Kitty."

"Amy it's not even 6:30 in the morning yet. Why can't you do it?"

"He didn't ask me to sing it to him. He requested you. Is it not usually your job to sing it to him when he is sick?"

"Well…yeah. But he's got you now. I thought since you moved in with him that you'd be able to do it."

"Oh no Penny. It is your job to sing him Soft Kitty when he is sick. I could never encroach upon your territory."

She heard Penny sigh. "Do I have to do it so early?"

"You know he'll never let up."

Penny gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'll be over there in a second."

Amy hung up the phone, grabbed her quilt, and walked out into the living room. Sheldon was already sitting in his spot with his comforter wrapped around himself, only his face peaking out. Amy thought he looked kind of cute, if more than a little infantile.

"Is she coming?"

Amy nodded. "Yes. She'll be over momentarily."

She dropped her blanket on the other end of the couch and walked over to the kitchen to start the tea.

Penny walked through the door without answering, wrapped in her robe and looking none too happy.

Sheldon looked at her and coughed. "Hello Penny."

"Alright, let's get this over with so that I can get back to sleep. I'll have you know that Amy's phone call interrupted a dream in which I had won an Oscar. I was in the middle of my acceptance speech."

Sheldon looked at her. "Yes, I can see how that would upset you, seeing as how it is your dream and you aren't likely to experience it during your waking hours."

Penny glared at him and started singing through gritted teeth. "Soft kitty, warm kitty…"

"Hang on. We have to wait for Amy to start rubbing Vaporub on my chest."

Penny rolled her eyes. "So she can rub your damned chest with Vaporub but I have to come over here at 6:30 in the freaking morning to sing you Soft Kitty?"

Sheldon nodded, sniffing.

Penny looked over at Amy, gesturing towards Sheldon. "Ames, you want to get over here and start rubbing? I am working the late shift tonight and I need my beauty sleep."

Amy set the teapot on to boil and then walked over. "You hardly need sleep to make you beautiful Penny."

Penny rolled her eyes and pointed at Sheldon. "Thanks. Just let's get this over with."

Amy sat down next to Sheldon, who handed her the Vaporub, letting go of his comforter and raising up his shirt.

Oh my. There it was again; the chest that she had not yet seen before yesterday. And now she was going to be rubbing it. Her heart started beating fast and she started to feel a bit faint.

_Keep it together_, she thought. _You've been dreaming of more direct physical contact for a while…don't let this illness rob you of your chance._

She dipped her hands in the pot of Vaporub and gently started rubbing in a counterclockwise direction. Her fingertips felt tingly.

Penny started singing. "Soft kitty, warm kitty…"

Amy realized that Sheldon's chest wasn't moving. She glanced up at him. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes a little larger than normal, his lips were closed tightly, and he appeared to be holding his breath. He glanced at her and then quickly looked away.

Amy looked away toward Penny, who was singing in the general direction of the ceiling, and then looked back at Sheldon's chest, still moving her hand in counterclockwise circles. That was an interesting reaction.

"…purr, purr, purr."

Penny looked down at the two of them. "There you go Sheldon. Anything else I can do for you before I go back to bed? Make you a three course meal? Clean your apartment?"

Sheldon looked at Penny, who was now looking between the two of them confused and frowning, and shook his head. Amy removed her hand from Sheldon's chest. He took a breath and said. "Thank you Penny. You may go back to dreaming about the impossible."

Penny narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth as if to say something, and then shook her head. "Ok. See you later. Feel better."

After she left, Sheldon and Amy sat in silence, both staring at the blank television. What had just happened?

The tea kettle starting screaming, so Amy got up to prepare the tea. She contemplated what to say to Sheldon. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Her fingers still felt tingly and she didn't know what his reaction meant. Why had he been holding his breath?

She walked back over with their cups of tea. Sheldon was still staring straight ahead.

"Here is your tea."

He jumped slightly and did a double take, blinking for a few seconds before reaching up to grab the cup from her.

"Thank you." He started sipping it, not looking at her.

She sat down next to him and wrapped her blanket around herself, also sipping her tea.

After a few more moments of silence she said, "What would you like to watch?"

He looked over at her, a blank expression on his face. He blinked at her for a few seconds before answering. "Since we have watched it so often before, how about more _Doctor Who_?"

She shrugged. "Ok."

He looked at her. "Would you put it in the DVD player? My sinuses are stuffy and I don't want to bend over."

She shrugged again. "Ok." He really was a baby when he was sick.

She walked over and stuck in a disc at random.

When she sat back down she turned to look at him. "Sheldon, would you mind if we cuddled?"

He looked at her. "But we're sick."

"So? It's not like either of us have to worry about contaminating the other."

He stared for a few moments before taking a big breath and sighing. "Fine."

She leaned against him, but he still had his comforter wrapped around him, and she had her blanket wrapped around her. It wasn't very comfortable.

Sheldon looked at her. "Wouldn't it make more sense if we shared a single blanket?"

Amy sat upright, completely taken aback that such a question was being asked by Sheldon. "Yes. It would."

When she didn't move, he opened his blanket and said rather testily, "Well…are we or aren't we going to cuddle?"

Amy smiled at him and leaned in, smelling the Vaporub on his chest as she leaned her head there. He put his arm back around her, wrapping them both in the blanket.

She turned her head to watch the television, thinking to herself that she could not recall feeling so wonderful when she was so unwell.

**A/N: Thanks to all you readers out there. So between life and writer's block I am becoming rather jaded. The combination of frustration and apathy is not a good one. I could use the external motivators to keep me going. Now, I would never just not finish the story, but the pace at which it is completed could be shortened if I'm motivated enough. To the 5% of you who review, (yep, I did the math) many many thanks. Keep it up :) And to the other 95% of you, it would really make my day if you clicked that little button below and sent a review my way. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's note: You accomplished your mission. Thank you for the lovely reviews. I hope this chapter conveys my thanks properly. :)**

**Sheldon**

Sheldon lay in his bed, trying to go to sleep, but instead finding himself reflecting on recent events. He groaned. It had been nearly a month since Amy had moved in and his entire life felt topsy turvy. He hated it…but he didn't hate it. It was all very confusing.

He thought about his life before Amy. Things had made sense. Life had been orderly. He had consistently been in control. He had not had to answer to anyone, save occasionally his mother. No one had questioned his reign as head of the group. All activities and meals had been planned to fit his needs. Yes, life had certainly been simple and efficient.

Even the introduction of Penny into his life hadn't changed things as much as the introduction of Amy. Yes, Penny had often challenged him, but it was rare that she succeeded in getting him to capitulate. And then there was the fact that Penny would now do things for him that Leonard either refused to do or was ill equipped to do, such as singing him Soft Kitty when he was sick or taking him shopping for new shoes.

Yes, if he could pinpoint the time in his life when he had started to lose his firm grip on control, it had been the first afternoon he had shared a beverage with Amy; he an herbal tea with honey and she a tepid water. They had bonded over their mutual distain for physical contact and an aversion to soiled hosiery.

It had been the first time he had actively sought out a friendship. He and Amy had texted and emailed each other with such regularity during those first few months that it hadn't taken her long to become a firmly fixed entity within his social paradigm. Had he been looking for signs of danger to his carefully structured social paradigm, that would have been his first clue.

He had been happy with the relationship as it was. He could engage in an intelligent conversation with a like minded individual without any need for physical contact. It had been everything he dreamed of in an ideal relationship…what had happened?

Penny. He huffed, annoyed. It was all her fault…perhaps he had underestimated the effect Penny had had on his life after all. Without Penny's interference he and Amy might never have gone on their first date and his life would have remained blissfully the same. But no. Penny had insisted Sheldon take Amy on a date, all because they had discussed having a child together, regardless of the fact that said progeny would have been created in a sanitary lab without the necessity of physical contact. But go on a date they had. They had had a brilliant time naturally, bonding over a discussion regarding Penny's numerous sexual encounters. (Regardless of what she thinks, the math doesn't lie.) After that date, he found himself actually wanting to spend more time with Amy. That would have been his second clue.

Excepting those few brief days when he and Amy had had an argument over the validity of Neurobiology and he had rediscovered a fondness for cats, they had gotten along swimmingly. They had had endlessly intelligent conversations on a variety of subjects and had even created a game that, no matter how frequently the rules were explained, only the two of them truly understood.

And then things had changed. Amy had changed. Penny's influence (hmm…he _really_ needed to rethink Penny's influence on his life) had opened Amy up to a world she had previously shunned along with him. She became a drinker of alcohol, a watcher of "chick flicks", and, most shockingly, a woman with a libido. She had even referred to him as a "sexy toddler" and had kissed him while under the influence of alcohol. That would have been clue number three.

But they had agreed the next morning to restore their relationship to a point they both agreed it had worked…i.e. one in which Amy had _not_ called him a sexy toddler and kissed him. Sheldon had assumed that things would return to normal.

Except they hadn't. Despite his determination to ignore and forget said kiss, his thoughts regarding Amy had shifted. He had no longer felt the necessity to correct those who stated Amy was his girlfriend. Clue number four.

And then there had been that fateful night of cuddling. Again, all because of Penny…and Bernadette. He had been worried when he couldn't reach Amy through any normal modes of communication. Clue number five.

Then he had gone over there and when Amy had suggested a night of "love making" what had he done? Had he told her, in no uncertain terms, that physical contact was out of the question? No. Instead he had bargained with her. Clue number six.

Why hadn't he seen it? The clues had been everywhere.

Clue number seven: he had actually given thought, however fleeting, to a drunken Amy's question regarding what it would take for him to purchase alcohol and take her into a hotel room.

Clue number eight: he had not been happy with Amy dating Stuart.

Clue number nine: he couldn't stop thinking of Amy and Stuart potentially engaging in intercourse.

And where had these clues, which he had continually ignored, led? To Sheldon Lee Cooper, man of science, asking a girl to be his girlfriend.

Yes. Somehow, without his realizing just what was happening to him, he, Sheldon, had found himself in a romantic attachment…of his own making no less. What had happened to him? How had this brown haired, green eyed vixen managed to enslave him?

He sighed. And enslave him she had. There was no denying it now; not when she was sleeping just down the hall from him, in their shared apartment.

How had he gotten here? The entire crux of the Relationship Agreement had been that nothing change, physical or otherwise. And yet somehow, a mere 4 months after said agreement, he had found himself changing their binding covenant to allow for hand holding. And again it had been his idea.

And had that amendment managed to allow him to reclaim a measure of control? Had things stayed blissfully the same after that? No. Instead, Amy had kissed him.

He sighed, exasperated, as he thought of his reaction. Oh how he wished he had seized on that perfect opportunity to rebuff her advancements and proclaim that he was a man of science and not a kissing machine. Instead, he had amended the Relationship Agreement for a second time! _And_ in such a way as to allow further intimacy between himself and this mysterious woman from Glendale.

He tossed on his bed. What _was_ it about her that caused him to question his deep seated beliefs that emotions were for weaklings and relationships were useless? How had she done it? If he were given to such flights of fantasy, he would almost have believed it was witchcraft. For what else can explain his desire to keep her happy? To buy her expensive gifts when he had wronged her? To sincerely apologize when he had erred? To _admit_ that he had erred at all?

_I think you know_.

There it was again. That niggling voice he had come to loath. He immediately silenced it.

_Who asked for your opinion? You know nothing,_ he replied.

This was exactly what he was talking about when he said his life was topsy turvy. He had never had arguments with voices in his head until he had met Amy. His mind had been nothing but a logical machine, focused entirely on a quest whose prize was named Nobel.

That man of two and a half years ago would never have willingly kissed a woman...who was not his Meemaw…on the lips.

But he had. That man. This man. Sheldon Lee Cooper. _Sheldon Lee Cooper_ had kissed a woman. It was beyond comprehension…which was saying a lot because not many things in life were beyond his comprehension.

He groaned as he thought of the events of this evening. Had he never kissed Amy, been kissed by Amy, cuddled or held hands with Amy, then what had happened would never have happened.

If he had paid attention to the glaring clues, had never signed the Relationship Agreement, then things would be different.

If he had simply refused to even entertain the idea of meeting a woman "chosen" for him by "science", dirty sock or no dirty sock, then his life would never have changed, and he would not be feeling the turmoil and confusion he was currently feeling.

But he _had_ met her, _had_ ignored the clues, _had_ signed the Relationship Agreement, _had_ held hands and cuddled with her, _had_ been kissed by her, and _had_ indeed kissed her himself. And it had all led to the events of the night. He tossed on his bed again.

After doing all of those things, just when he was beginning to believe that perhaps they had reached a homeostasis, after multiple months with no further challenges to their relationship, what had happened? What idea had he had? What had he done? He had proposed.

It was not often he admitted he was wrong, even to himself, but honestly what had he been _thinking_? It was all Leonard and Penny's fault of course. They had upset the delicate balance with their determination to move in together, without thought or regard to how it would affect his life.

And he, still not fully comprehending how completely ensnared he was by this hotsy totsy he was dating, had decided that _marriage_ was the next logical step.

Logical! What would have been _logical_ would have been to find another roommate. If he had done what was _truly_ logical, then the events of this evening would never have occurred, and he would not be spending his precious sleeping hours pondering the course of his life.

He could have maintained their homeostasis, but instead, like some common fool he had decided to act on impulse. He had thought Amy as a spouse would solve all his problems.

He scoffed at his own naiveté. That was the last time _he_ would act impulsively. How can he know so much about so many things and yet be so woefully ignorant in regards to romantic relationships.

Yes. There. He had admitted it to himself. He knew nothing of romance. He knew nothing of the heart, save its function as the vehicle through which pumped an entire body's supply of blood. He had known these things were dangerous, but in retrospect he had not quite realized the subtlety with which they crept into one's life. Had he fully realized just how dangerous they were, he would have kept a closer watch on himself. He would never have allowed his relationship with Amy to _become_ a relationship, in any way shape or form.

He was not supposed to be spending his time pondering things like romance and his girlfriend's libido. He needed to be thinking about the infinite universe and all its complexities. And yet was he? No. He wasn't. He wasn't thinking at _all_ about the universe and its complexities. He was instead thinking about the events of this evening. Pondering how he got here. Brooding on the causality of his inner turmoil.

Oh, that he could go back and change things! Not propose to Amy; not move in with Amy. If he had at least done those two things, perhaps life would have moved blissfully forward, with no further dramatic shifts in his thoughts.

But he had proposed and she had moved in. And then everything had changed.

What a fool he had been, requesting Amy to rub Vaporub on his chest. He had been sick and not thinking clearly. After all his precautions, all his careful planning, he had still ended up sick. But why had he asked _her_ to rub the Vaporub on his chest? Why not Penny? Penny had been doing it for years and he had felt nothing more than soothed during a time of illness. He had even had Amy get Penny to sing him Soft Kitty. She had been present. There had been no need for _Amy_ to rub Vaporub on his chest.

But he hadn't asked Penny to rub Vaporub on his chest. He had asked Amy.

The moment she had begun to rub her hand in a circle on his chest, his entire life had changed. He hadn't known what was going on, save that he was suddenly very aware that his girlfriend was touching his bare chest. His skin had felt tingly wherever her fingers touched. He hadn't been able to breathe. The rush of feelings had been too much for him to process. All he had been able to comprehend was that this was something he had never experienced before. This was new. And frightening.

He had been both relieved and dismayed when Amy had removed her hand at the end of Penny's off key rendition of Soft Kitty. His mind had been set whirring, questioning what had happened; examining his response. He had not known what to say to Amy. He had been certain she had noticed his lack of movement during the song, but she had asked nothing. She had instead sat in silence with him, until the tea kettle had started screaming. She had gotten up while he still pondered what was going on; why his body had reacted so strangely.

And then she had come back and requested cuddling. Yet another missed opportunity for him to have denied her. He had said yes, and when she had leaned awkwardly against him, he had come to the conclusion that the most logical thing to do would be to cuddle under one blanket.

His brain had been failing him. The logical thing to do _would_ have been to stay under two separate blankets. But no. Because of all of the previous events of the past two and a half years, his normally functional, intelligent brain had decided that the _logical_ thing to do would be to share a blanket.

And so share a blanket they had. And he had enjoyed it.

He sighed again. Yes, now that he reflected upon it, there was no denying it. He had enjoyed having Amy snuggled against his chest. Despite being ill, with achy joints, stuffy nose, and a fever, he had felt most comforted when the warmth of Amy's body had been close.

Oh it was terrible!...Oh but not so terrible as the events of this evening. He groaned again, his heart starting to race as he recalled what had happened. If he had not allowed Amy to snuggle against him when they were both sick, then it would never have happened.

But he _had_ allowed Amy to snuggle against him. And he had enjoyed it.

And in the days that followed he had found himself thinking even more about Amy. He had found himself wanting to cuddle with her, and even…dare he admit it?...wanting to _kiss_ her! And the worst part was that he couldn't escape her. She lived there. She was there when he woke up; there when he came home; there all night long when he tried and failed to sleep.

Since her second night in the apartment she had not had any further night terrors. If ever he would have believed that his mother's god answered prayers, it would have been for that. He had not had to suffer through wrapping his entire body around hers. His body shuddered at the thought.

Oh, but that was where the answered prayers ended. Amy had taken it upon herself to "help" him with what she called his "irrational fear of germs". It was a nightmare. She ambushed him frequently. And she had gotten the others of their group to participate, so he had no one to turn to for help. Even his own mother refused to take his side, saying she was happy that he had a woman who knew how to handle her little Shelly Bean.

Amy tried many things, but never repeated them, so he was forever on his guard. _And_ she had told him once that some of the things she told him were true and some weren't, so he could never be sure which was which. Had she really taken a sip of his tea? Had she really asked all of their friends to put a finger on his food? He never knew and it drove him mad. She had even hidden his bottles of antibiotics and had called his doctor. Now no amount of telephone calls would induce his doctor to write him more prescriptions.

And through this entire nightmare he still found that his thoughts more frequently focused on Amy than on the unendurable amount of germs she was attempting to expose him to. He wondered if he could blame Penny for this too. Never in his life had an inch of exposed skin caused him to experience tachycardia and loss of breath. And yet that is exactly what had happened when Amy had reached up for the cereal and exposed a small portion of her stomach. He was starting to seriously doubt the validity of Kolinahr. It had failed him far too frequently of late.

Oh but never had it failed him more than tonight.

It had started off like any other night. Their friends had joined them for dinner (Amy claiming, after Sheldon had already eaten one, that she had asked Leonard to touch all the dumplings) and they had sat around conversing. It had been an evening like most others.

After everyone had left, Sheldon had asked Amy if she would like to watch something. Amy had said alright and so he had put in the first episode of _Firefly_. He knew she didn't care for science fiction, but he was determined that she have a wide variety of exposure before allowing her to fully state that she does not care for the genre. After all, she wasn't vehemently opposed to _Doctor Who_, so who knew? There might be hope.

They had sat down and Amy had requested they cuddle. Sheldon had agreed even though his heart rate had increased as soon as Amy's head had rested on his shoulder. But everything had been ok. Sheldon could have handled it. In fact, after a few minutes his heart rate had started to return back to normal…that is until Amy had sat up and asked him to pause the DVD.

He had done so and she had turned to him, telling him she would like permission to try an experiment. As a scientist who values the scientific method, he had foolishly said yes. And then Amy had kissed him.

But she hadn't kissed him as she had the other times she had kissed him. As he lay in bed now, recalling, his breath started coming quicker and his heart raced. He was _certain_ he could blame Penny for what Amy did. The Amy he had known for two and a half years did not know how to French kiss. He knew because of that one time they had tried it. At that time they had agreed that they must not have employed it correctly. So the only explanation he could think of for why Amy suddenly had a handle on French kissing was that she had asked Penny for the specifics.

And she most definitely had a handle on it. Of that he was certain. When she had kissed him, he had been startled by the ferocity with which she attacked him and had opened his mouth in a gasp. She had taken that opportunity to stick her tongue in his mouth.

He had frozen, completely stunned. Amy had pulled away and looked at him. He had asked her why she did that and she had said she had multiple reasons, one of which being that it was a good way to continue his exposure to germs.

If he was to be completely honest with himself, exposure to her germs had been the very last thing to cross his mind…and he wasn't sure if he was ready to admit what the first thing to cross his mind had been.

When he hadn't said anything for several moments after Amy's first kiss, she had hesitantly leaned forward and kissed first one of his cheeks, and then the other. His cheeks had felt burned. After kissing his second cheek she had hovered, her face close to his, looking at him in the eyes.

His mind had blanked. All he could focus on was her face. Without contemplating what he was doing, he had reached over and put both of his hands on her face, pulling her back for another kiss. She had again stuck her tongue in his mouth, but this time he hadn't frozen. He had allowed it to happen.

In fact, all he had thought about was the awkward position they were at, sitting next to each other. His mind still not functioning properly, he had let go of her face and had grabbed her by the waist pulling her onto his lap.

She had broken off the kiss and had looked at him in surprise. He had surprised himself. What was he doing? What was going on? He had become frightened of the feelings attempting to surge upwards and had started to push Amy off, but she had grabbed his hands before he could shove her and had immediately kissed him again.

All his thoughts had left his head yet again. What was it about kissing Amy that rendered his mind stupid? Why did it always go blank? All he had been able to focus on was Amy kissing him and he kissing her. His hands had snaked around her waist of their own accord and she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

He was unsure now how long they had been kissing. It felt like an hour, but perhaps it had only been ten minutes…or ten seconds…he really couldn't be sure. All he knows now is that in the blink of an eye, a hot flash had coursed through his body and his arms had tightened around Amy's waist, drawing her up against his chest. He started to feel things he had never felt before, both physical and emotional. He had slid his hand up her back to touch her hair, enjoying its silky texture between his fingers, and they had continued kissing.

At one point he had marveled that they had managed to remain kissing for so long without the necessity to break apart for air, when, no more than three seconds after that, Amy had broken away. His breath had come quickly as he had stared at Amy's green eyes.

Neither one had said anything for a few moments. He didn't know what Amy had been thinking, but the inklings of the implications of what they had been doing had started to creep in to his mind. But before he could fully restart his brain, Amy had kissed him again, pressing his back into the back of the couch.

Only then had he realized what he was doing. His higher brain function had finally kicked in. He had immediately broken off the kiss, jumped up from the couch, and had fled to his room.

He had not been out since. Oh what had _happened_? _How_ could he have let himself get to this point? It wasn't what he had wanted. He had never wanted a romantic attachment. He had been repulsed by the mere idea of coitus. It was a germ riddled nightmare; he had told himself this more times than he wanted to count!

And yet he had thought nothing of germs. He had thought nothing about controlling emotions. He had thought nothing about controlling his baser urges!

He was so confused…

**A/N: Thank you very much for reading. I took a calculated risk here. I'm a little worried that I took the characters too far too fast (for this story). Reviews would be much appreciated. :)**

****P.S. T**hat's as far as I go. I don't care for racy/steamy scenes personally. I don't regret the scene, and it is necessary for the plot, but will be taken no further. Just friendly reminder that I said at the beginning there would be no Shamy Sex. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Amy**

After Sheldon fled to his room, Amy sat there a minute pondering what had just happened. Had she really just made out with her boyfriend? How exciting! She, Amy "Gorilla Fingers" Fowler, not only _had_ a boyfriend, not only was _living_ with her boyfriend, but had actually _finally_ made out with him! Oh if only everyone who had ever made fun of her could see her now.

Granted, he had ended up (to quote a phrase of Penny's) "freaking out" on her, but then again, he had been a willing participant prior to said freak out. She wondered what to do…She decided to talk to Penny.

She walked quickly across the hall and knocked on the door. Leonard answered and looked surprised to see her.

"Hey Amy…it's kind of late…what's up?"

"I was wondering if I could speak with Penny. It is a matter of some urgency."

Leonard frowned, confused. "Ok…is something wrong?"

"I don't know yet."

Leonard raised his eyebrows. "Did Sheldon do something?"

"Yes."

Leonard looked at her, opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it shaking his head. "Come on in."

Penny walked out of their bedroom pulling her pajama shirt down. She looked surprised to see Amy.

"Hey Amy, what brings you here? We were just getting ready to go to bed."

"I was wondering if I could speak with you…alone."

Amy looked pointedly at Leonard, who cleared his throat, yawned while stretching, and said "Boy look at the time…I'm tired…I think I'll just go ahead and go in to bed." He turned to Penny. "See you in there…you know…whenever you get tired too…" He paused to kiss Penny before going into the bedroom and closing the door.

Penny sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Have a seat. So what's up?"

"Sheldon and I made out."

Penny stared at her. "I'm sorry…what?"

"We made out."

Penny raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. "And by 'made out' you mean…"

"French kissing…sadly second base was never reached."

Penny closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to simultaneously wrap my brain around and not think about you and Sheldon making out…" She opened her eyes. "So…what happened?"

"Well…we were watching t.v. after everyone left and I said I wanted to do an experiment and then I kissed him. French kissed him that is. With tongue."

Penny held up her hand. "Ok ok. No I gotcha. No need for the gritty details." She frowned, looking confused. "So…but…didn't you guys try that once and you said you couldn't get the hang of it?"

Amy nodded. "Yes."

"So…what happened? How'd you figure it out?"

"Rajesh and Howard helped me."

Penny's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. "I'm sorry _what_? What do you _mean_ Raj and Howard helped you out?"

"Remember that internet kissing device Leonard used when he was still dating Priya?"

Penny frowned. "Yes…"

"Well, I asked Howard if I could borrow it to practice with."

"Ok…but what's Raj got to do with it."

"He offered to be my practice partner."

"Amy!"

Amy frowned, confused. "What?"

"You are dating Sheldon! You can't be making out with Raj!...I can't _believe_ he suggested that ridiculous idea!"

"Actually, technically it was Howard's idea" Penny raised here eyebrows. "…but Raj didn't seem to mind helping…however, to put your mind at ease, Raj was only watching the other end, rather than kissing it. He gave me excellent pointers, and likely would have made for a good kissing partner, but it occurred to me prior to starting the endeavor that perhaps Sheldon wouldn't find the idea of his girlfriend kissing another man appealing…even if it _was_ through a robotic mouth…"

"You _think_?" Penny shook her head. "I'm going to have a _long_ talk with those two…" She turned to Amy. "Ok…so you 'practiced' kissing with an internet device thingie." She rolled her eyes. "So what happened when you kissed Sheldon?"

Amy shrugged. "He was surprised at first."

Penny smirked. "I bet."

"But then he kissed me back."

Penny raised her eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Sheldon actually kissed you back?"

Amy nodded. "Yes."

"So then what happened?"

"Well, he pulled me onto his lap."

"_Sheldon_…pulled you onto his lap…" Penny's mouth fell open and then she shook her head. "I'm sorry…I'm trying to wrap my brain around and not picture it again…So it sounds like things went well."

Amy nodded. "I suppose so. We kissed for awhile. But then he just got up and went into his room."

"What did he say?"

Amy shrugged. "Nothing." She frowned. Her initial high was wearing off. "Why do you think he left? Do you think he didn't like it?" Suddenly she was worried.

Penny looked thoughtful. "No…If he was participating, it sounds like he liked it." She shrugged. "He probably just freaked out about germs or something."

She gave Amy a reassuring look. "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Amy took a breath and nodded. "Ok." Penny always knew what to say to make her feel better.

Penny grinned at her slyly. "Look at you Amy! Initiating a make out session! _And_ getting our little Sheldon to finally hit puberty!"

Amy smiled back. Yeah. It _was_ pretty great.

* * *

><p>The next morning Amy's nervousness returned. She was anxious about seeing Sheldon. She wondered how he'd react. She suspected he would either pretend nothing had happened or would avoid her entirely.<p>

She walked past the empty bathroom and Sheldon's empty room into the living room space. Sheldon didn't appear to be present.

"Sheldon?"

No answer. Hmm…he must be going with option two.

Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it did still sting a little. Part of her had hoped that by this morning he would have calmed down. Alas it appeared to be a hollow dream.

She sighed and walked back towards the bathroom to prepare for the day.

* * *

><p>When Amy opened the door of the apartment after work that evening she was greeted with an unexpected sight.<p>

It appeared that the coffee table had been set. There were real plates with what appeared to be Thai food, rather than card board takeout containers, wine glasses with water in them, and even two candle sticks. Amy's defenses went up. What was going on? The only other time Sheldon had prepared a meal had been the time he had made breakfast for them when he had wanted to deny her further kissing access.

"Oh good you're home." Sheldon walked in and smiled at her.

Amy frowned, sure that nothing good could come of this.

Sheldon looked at her, still standing in the open doorway. "Why are you standing in the doorway? Shouldn't you come in and prepare for dinner?"

Amy looked at him. "Prepare for dinner?"

Sheldon sighed. "Yes." He gestured towards the coffee table. "I've made arrangements to have a more formal dinner. I even informed our mutual friends that they would have to arrange their own meals this evening."

Amy slowly closed the door, but didn't move forward. Just what was going on here? She didn't know how to react. Was this sincere? Had her boyfriend indeed prepared a semi-romantic dinner for them?

But no. This was Sheldon. As much as she would be overjoyed at the thought, there had to be an ulterior motive in place. After all, he never did anything romantic. He detested any mention of the word.

"Amy?"

She realized she was staring at the coffee table and looked over at him. "Yes?"

"Is something the matter? You still haven't moved away from the door."

"Why are you doing this?"

He frowned. "Do you not like the arrangements? I would have thought you'd find the change refreshing."

She blinked at him. "No. The arrangements are fine…but what is the occasion?"

He shifted uncomfortably and looked at the floor. "Can't a guy prepare a meal for his girlfriend?"

"You didn't prepare it. You bought it."

He looked at her sharply. "That is beside the point. I arranged it."

"…But why?" She was still suspicious.

He opened his mouth and then closed it, before he narrowed his eyes and said, "Please just go set down your belongings and get ready for dinner."

She looked down at herself. She was wearing essentially what she always wore; tights, a skirt, a button down shirt, and a cardigan. "How am I supposed to prepare?"

Sheldon sighed, sounding exasperated. "Never mind. Just go set your belongings down and return here so we can enjoy our meal."

As she walked back towards her room, she wondered at his testy response. She set down her bag and made a stop in at the restroom, running a brush through her hair.

She walked back into the living room and saw that Sheldon was already seated in his spot, and that he had lit the candles.

Still feeling that there must be a catch, Amy sat down. She picked up her dinner plate, unsure what else to do, and took a bite of her food.

Sheldon turned to her and asked, "How was your day?"

She swallowed her current bite and began to recount for him the tales of her day. Throughout the meal he continued to ask her questions regarding her work. It was unsettling. He had of course shown interest in her work before, but never before having regaled her with his own events of the day.

All throughout the meal she kept waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop…but it never did. Sheldon was perfectly pleasant all throughout the meal. It set her on edge.

Finally, after they were both finished with their meal and were sipping from their water glasses, Amy couldn't take the suspense any further.

"Sheldon, what's going on?"

He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you prepare a nice dinner for us? Why did you forego your usual scheduled plans? You ran to your room last night, and were gone when I woke up this morning, and then I come home to a romantic dinner. This isn't normal for you. What is going on?"

He blinked at her. "Do you not like it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You seem upset. Did you not like the dinner? I assumed you would like a meal with just the two of us, but perhaps I acted hastily."

"Hastily?" She was not becoming any less confused. She shook her head. "Sheldon I'm still not following."

He looked away, shuffling uncomfortably in his spot, but didn't say anything.

She waited, looking at him.

He looked over at her, cleared his throat, opened his mouth and then closed it, looking away again. He repeated this process three more times before finally turning to her, swallowing, taking a big breath, and saying, "I just thought I'd do something nice…Obviously I failed."

He stood up. "If you'll excuse me, since there is no Halo night tonight, I would like to spend the time working. Please feel free to clean up."

As he walked away Amy wondered what in the world had just happened.

**A/N: Thank you as always for reading. And, I'd also like to thank the Anon reviewer who calls themself "Someone" for making me laugh with the reference to rewarding me with "Shiny Reviews". I know this chapter is shorter than we've all gotten used to (actually it's just back to my "normal") but as I was writing I realized that I (and Sheldon and Amy) was not quite ready to head into the next phase. There is still a fair amount to explore/explain. We're nearing the end of this fic, so be happy. I bought you a couple extra chapters. ;) Alright, here's the part where I hope that this site doesn't try to foil me again, and where you send those rewarding shiny reviews my way! :)**

**P.S. **If you're thoroughly confused at the end of this chapter, then mission accomplished. :)****


	24. Chapter 24

**Sheldon**

When Sheldon was awoken by his alarm (something which rarely ever happened), he immediately thought of two things: despite his confusion, he was certain the previous night's kissing had not been a dream, and also, that he was extraordinarily tired. The antics of the night had caused him to toss and turn for a good portion of the night before finally succumbing to sleep sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.

Not since that time a few years back, when he had spent several days trying to figure out why electrons behave as if they have no mass when traveling through a graphene sheet, had confusion caused such sleeplessness. No matter which way he thought about it, he simply couldn't reconcile his previous night's behavior. He had continued, well into the night, to comb through every moment he had had with Amy, from the moment he had met her until the pedestrian "make out session" of last night, searching for a specific reason to explain his throwing caution to the wind, disregarding the potential effects on his health, his mental acuity, or, most importantly, his quest for a Nobel Prize, and allowing Amy to stick her tongue in his mouth. But no matter how much he pondered, he continually came up empty.

He looked at his clock. It was 6:03 a.m. He blinked for a minute, trying to decide what to do. He was extraordinarily tired. He thought about staying home and sleeping. He had never in his life skipped work without being violently ill, excepting the day that it was Amy who was ill…then he realized that if he were to stay home, he would have to face Amy. He wasn't ready to face Amy. Not until he had the upper hand back on his mental faculties at least. No. He would go to work.

He yawned.

He wasn't sure how much work would be accomplished, but at least he would be there and not facing Amy without any answers for his behavior…

* * *

><p>By the time lunch rolled around Sheldon was sure of one thing: the first half of the day was a complete waste of time. He might as well have been at home asleep. He had accomplished exactly nothing. In fact, there were a couple of moments that he might have actually dozed off, as he would suddenly jerk, realize he had been staring at his board unseeing, and have no idea how long he had been staring.<p>

And even when he _was_ awake enough to potentially concentrate, the only thing that he could think about was Amy and this French kissing business. The distraction was most unwelcome.

As he was grabbing his tray for lunch, it suddenly occurred to him that he would be forced to face his friends. He wondered if they were privy to the information regarding his antics of the previous evening. He sincerely hoped not. Although the way that women commonly blabbed about their conquests to their female companions likely meant that both Leonard and Howard would, by now, have heard, and would no doubt have also informed Koothrapali.

He frowned. Hmm. Perhaps he could eat lunch elsewhere?

But no. To eat elsewhere would interrupt his daily routine. Every work day he ate in the cafeteria, if not always with his friends (depending on their behavior).

He thought about sitting elsewhere in the cafeteria, but decided that would draw too much attention to an issue he was hoping he could avoid talking about with the ruffians he called his friends.

He walked over to the table where said ruffians were already seated and sat down in the available chair.

"So I hear you finally got to second base with Amy." Howard wagged his eyebrows at Sheldon.

Drat. He would have been better to have eaten in his office.

Sheldon straightened his back to gain maximum height and threw his nose in the air in what he hoped conveyed the appropriate amount of haughty derision.

"I don't know where you get _your_ information from Howard, but I can assure you that I never touched Amy's breasts."

For good measure he took a bite of his peas.

"Dude get over yourself," Raj rolled his eyes. "You totally made out with Amy. There's no denying it. Leonard heard the whole thing last night from Penny."

Sheldon glared at Leonard. "_Did_ he?"

Leonard shook his head and threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey. Don't look at me. She heard it straight from your girlfriend and then couldn't _wait_ to tell me about it after Amy left."

Sheldon really detested girls. Why on _earth_ couldn't Amy have pondered their kisses by herself like he had done? Why did she feel the need to immediately run to apartment 4B and dissect every feeling she had had with the biggest gossip this side of the Mississippi River?

He returned to eating his peas, deciding to say nothing. So what if he "made out" with Amy. Why did they care? Honestly, they were all in their thirties now. Surely "making out" with one's girlfriend wasn't worthy of noting. It was a perfectly normal thing for a boyfriend to do with his girlfriend.

Sheldon froze, another bite of peas halfway to his mouth. His friends were still laughing, likely at him, although he had learned long ago to tune them out when they were making fun of him. He noted, however, that when they saw he had frozen, they had all frozen as well. Had he really just had that thought? Where had it come from? When did he start thinking of kissing as a normal thing for a boyfriend to do with his girlfriend?

He set down his fork and straightened, staring straight ahead. He could see his friends glancing at first him, and then each other. He could not remember any other instance in his entire life when he had thought of kissing Amy as something which would be considered normal. It had been something he had entered mostly against his will. Something he had done to appease Amy's wish for further intimacy.

_Something you did because you like it_.

_Shut it,_ he thought. He did not want to believe that niggling voice, but in his sleep deprived state it was becoming more and more difficult. When had this shift in his thinking occurred? He took a moment to think about the relationships of his friends. Both Leonard and Howard, now in serious relationships, one married and one living with his girlfriend, both having regular intercourse (or so he assumed)…_both_ of them had started off their relationships with kissing…which had then led to French kissing…

But what did this mean? Was he, Doctor Sheldon Lee Cooper, merely following the same mundane relationship course every other human on the planet had followed for thousands of years before him? The thought was both dissatisfying and yet oddly comforting. Comforting in its predictability, but dissatisfying because he was not yet willing to admit that he was not part of a new, more advance species of human, which was above following the pedestrian course set by of the rest of humanity.

If however, for the sake of developing a hypothesis, he assumed that he _was_ on a course followed previously by others, then would "making out" with his girlfriend indeed be considered a normal step?

Leonard broke the silence that had fallen on the table. "Hey, Sheldon, we were just kidding…"

Sheldon looked at Leonard. He had no idea what Leonard was talking about, but decided to use Leonard's almost-apology to his advantage, to test out his new hypothesis.

He put on his best glare and gave it to each of his friends in turn.

"I would like to remind you that we are _all_ over thirty years old and that three out of the four of us are in relationships with females." Raj rolled his eyes and sighed. "It is perfectly _normal_ for a person in a relationship to "make out" with the other person in said relationship." He used his fork to point between Howard and Leonard, still glaring. "You two should know this. Howard, you're married. Leonard, you're living with your girlfriend. Why on _earth_ would the fact that Amy and I engaged in kissing of any sort be of any note, let alone cause for mockery. Should you not be yawning from the boredom of having learned a fact that is nothing more than an obvious step for a person who is in a relationship?"

He set down his fork, clasped his hands in front of himself on the table, and looked at each of them, waiting for the results of his experiment. All three of them were staring at him, Howard with his mouth open, and Raj and Leonard with their eyebrows raised.

Howard raised his hand. "I have a question."

Sheldon nodded at him. "Proceed."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Sheldon raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean? I don't know how I could have stated that clearer."

Howard laughed in what might be a sarcastic manner. "What do I mean? I mean, why the hell _wouldn't_ we be shocked to learn that Mister Germophobe has been a willing participant in locking lips with the girlfriend he is _living with_ and yet has never done anything more than cuddle and share a few chaste kisses with?"

Interesting.

"So you believe that my choosing to live with my mate prior to ever having 'locked lips', as you so _eloquently _put it, means that the news of my having completed that relationship milestone is of note?"

"Shya!"

"But doesn't the fact that it's considered a relationship milestone make it a normal progression?"

"Yeah, maybe if you weren't….you."

"I don't follow."

"Leonard help me out will you."

Leonard looked at Sheldon. "Sheldon, yes, for any other person on the planet, the news that they had made out with their girlfriend would be considered a natural step. But come on. You're the one who has spent years shunning all forms of physical contact and stated that Albert Einstein could have perfected time travel if he hadn't been such a hound dog."

Interesting indeed. "So, your shock and mockery towards me is due to the fact that I have in the past indicated an aversion to anything relating to a relationship?"

Howard held up his index finger. "Ding, ding, ding!"

Sheldon scoffed. "Well I find your mockery off putting. I have been in a relationship for over a year now. And to circle back around to my original statement, it is completely normal for Amy and I to have engaged in French kissing." He picked up his unfinished meal. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do and I am not finding the present company enjoyable to be around."

* * *

><p>As he sat in his office later, still staring blankly at his whiteboard, he thought about the conversation he had had at lunch. The results of his impromptu hypothesis test were interesting. On the one hand Leonard said that it was perfectly normal for a pair bonded couple to reach said milestone, albeit excluding Sheldon. On the other hand Howard found the fact that Sheldon and Amy had attained said milestone to be something noteworthy. And then of course, the original piece of data was that he, Sheldon, believed that it was perfectly normal for he and Amy to reach said milestone.<p>

So if both he, Sheldon, and Leonard, both physicists with doctorates, had come to the conclusion that it was completely normal for pair bonded couples to engage in such activities, while Howard, lowly engineer with nothing more than a master's degree, had felt that it was out of the realm of possibility for Sheldon to engage in such activities, then the only logical conclusion was that Howard was incorrect, and that what Sheldon did was perfectly within the limits of normal.

He pondered this for a bit. He was still unsure at what point he had decided to throw his entire belief system out the proverbial window. Up until he had met Amy he had believed that he was above needing and, most importantly, _wanting_ a physical relationship with a woman. And yet, along the way something had changed. What had it been? When had it happened? _Why_ had it happened?

_Why do you ignore the obvious?_

He sighed. _I don't know what you're talking about._

He decided to think about something else.

If what he had done last night was to be considered normal behavior for a pair bonded individual, then he now wondered what else would be considered normal…

* * *

><p>"Leonard, I was wondering what things are considered normal within relationships."<p>

Leonard looked over at Sheldon before looking back at the road. "What do you mean?"

"If we are to consider the hypothesis, that it is normal to French kiss with your girlfriend, as valid, then I was wondering what other things are to be considered normal. Excepting intercourse naturally…What do you and Penny do?"

"You lived with me for ten years Sheldon. You don't know what Penny and I do?"

Sheldon sighed. "Leonard, you know that the only care I showed for your relationship was in how it would affect me. I might remind you that you lived with _me_ for ten years as well."

Leonard nodded. "Fair point…so what specifically do you want to know, if we're excepting sex."

"Well…is there anything that a boyfriend is supposed to do for a girlfriend? Anything that is considered a nice gesture perhaps?"

Leonard thought for a moment. "Well…I don't know. Sometimes people will make a nice dinner for the other person."

"What do you mean by nice dinner? Do I have to cook it? What makes it nicer than any other dinner?"

"Well…normally yes, it would require cooking…but in your case, I think just taking the food out of the take out boxes and using real plates might suffice."

"So the use of real plates makes a dinner nice?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. There are usually candles and nice napkins."

Sheldon thought for a moment. Yes. Perhaps he would try this with Amy. After all, he was "normal" now.

He turned to Leonard. "Leonard, you and Penny will have to eat at your apartment tonight. I'm going to have a nice dinner with Amy."

Leonard raised his eyebrows and looked over at Sheldon. He smiled. "Good for you."

Sheldon wasn't one to admit to a necessity for compliments, and yet he found Leonard's affirmation oddly reassuring. He smiled. "Thank you."

He pulled out his phone to text his remaining friends to tell them to find their own meals for the evening. He was going to have a nice dinner with his girlfriend.

* * *

><p>But it didn't work out like Sheldon thought it would. Amy was hesitant throughout the entire meal. He made an effort to ask her about her own work, never minding the fact that she never once asked him about <em>his<em> work. But this was about showing Amy that he could be a good "normal" boyfriend. Theirs was a "normal" relationship.

But all throughout the meal she kept glancing at him strangely. He couldn't figure out why she was acting the way she was. Did she not enjoy the effort?

She finally asked him what was going on. He made several attempts to explain his reasoning, but couldn't bring himself to do it. It appeared he had failed, that he was not adept at being a "normal" boyfriend after all. His hypothesis must have been incorrect. Suddenly he wished to be by himself. He got up, telling her to clean up and then headed for his room, to ponder this failed experiment and his invalid hypothesis.

He should have known better than to believe that the Homo Novus was capable of falling into a normal relationship pattern.

**A/N: Thank you as always for reading. Thank you to all reviewers. 350 reviews. WOW. I'm just stunned! Seriously. Thank you so much...now click that button below and send more my way! Yet again I'm anxious to know what you thought. And if you're thinking to yourself, "She'll never notice if I don't review because she gets so many" then you're wrong. ;) I am a like a baby fawn, and lack of reviews are light the headlights of a car traveling 90 miles per hour...ok that's probably an overly dramatic, "fairly labored metaphor", but you get the idea. Review! Have a Shiny Day :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Aw. My poor readers. I've got you all downtrodden. *pats heads* Fear not, resolution is upon you. But hey, guess what? I got you ALL to feel badly for Sheldon. Cross that off the bucket list!**

**Amy**

After Sheldon walked back to his room, Amy sat, much like she had the night before, wondering what to do. What had happened? It appeared the she had been wrong. Her boyfriend had apparently prepared a meal for the two of them with no ulterior motive. But why? Why the sudden desire to do something nice for her?

She started gathering up the dishes, taking them to the sink to wash.

Of course, that's not to say that he never treated her nicely…but he rarely, if ever, did something without motive, and _never_ did anything spontaneously.

As she washed the dishes, she pondered the past two evenings. At the end of both she had found herself confused, alone in the living room, with Sheldon in his bedroom. She decided to talk to Penny again. Penny always had answers.

She put down the last wet dish, dried her hands, and walked over to apartment 4B. When Penny opened the door she looked surprised to see Amy.

"Hey Ames. What's up? I thought you and Sheldon were having dinner alone tonight."

"We were. But it was weird and I came over to ask what you thought about Sheldon's behavior."

"Ok…Come on in."

Amy walked over and sat down on the couch. Penny sat down next to her. "So what's up tonight?"

"Well…Sheldon prepared a meal. Well, he bought it and set it out on nice plates. There were candles and everything."

"Ok. So far, so good. So what'd he do?"

"Nothing."

Penny frowned. "I'm not following."

"That's the thing. He didn't do anything. He was perfectly pleasant. He didn't rant about anything. He didn't say anything about our kissing last night. We just had a pleasant conversation about my work."

"Sweetie…I'm still not following. Why are you over here?"

"I asked him why he was acting pleasant, but he just got up and walked away. I want to know what's going on."

"Um…Sweetie? If you want to know why Sheldon was acting pleasant, shouldn't you be asking him that?"

"Really?"

"Well…yeah." Penny gave her a small smile. "I mean, I appreciate that you feel you can come to me for advice, but you know, sometimes you have to learn to actually communicate with your boyfriend. The two of you have been in a relationship for well over a year, and yet, instead of either of you two talking to each _other_ about your problems, you come to me or Leonard."

Hmm. Amy hadn't thought about it that way. "I'm sorry…it's just that…Sheldon is still my first boyfriend…I just don't want to inadvertently mess it up."

Penny smiled and patted Amy's arm. "I don't think you need to worry about that. I really don't think Sheldon is going anywhere. And hey! Where is this coming from?"

Penny asked a valid question. Why _was_ Amy so worried about her relationship with Sheldon?

Amy shrugged.

"You guys have been in a relationship for over a year…you're _living_ together! I'm pretty sure you could royally screw up and he'd still stick around…although I'm sure you'd never hear the end of it…"

Amy looked at Penny. "You really think so?"

"Of course!" Penny gave Amy a look. "I mean, come on. This is Sheldon…for one thing he's locked himself into a 'legally binding' contract with you. If that's not making a statement, then I don't know what is…"

When it was put that way, Amy's sudden insecurity didn't make sense at all…

She turned to Penny. "Thanks Penny."

"Sure! Now get over there and discuss your problems with your boyfriend!"

Amy' worry returned. "But what if he won't talk to me about it?"

Penny shrugged. "That's certainly possible. It's a risk you'll just have to take, Sweetie."

Amy frowned. She didn't like that idea. At all. She wasn't used to going in to conversations with Sheldon without first having received advice from someone outside the relationship. What if she didn't understand where he was coming from? Granted, she usually did. But still.

She turned to Penny. "Ok. Sorry to bother you."

She got up and headed for the door.

Penny stood up as well. "Wait. So are you going to go talk to him?"

Amy turned around and nodded. Penny smiled at her. "Good for you. Good luck…and text me all the details."

Amy walked slowly back into their apartment and headed for Sheldon's room.

She hesitated at the door, hand raised, preparing to knock. But wait. What was she going to say? She lowered her hand, walked back into the living room, and sat on the couch. Why _was_ she suddenly so insecure? Sheldon had been perfectly pleasant, and yet she had responded with suspicion.

She supposed she had good reason. Sheldon had acted completely atypical. And in the past the only time he acted atypical was when he had ulterior motives.

And yet, it seemed that this time he had indeed been trying to do something nice for her. But why? This was the question she kept returning to. It had essentially come out of nowhere. The last time she had seen him, prior to dinner tonight, had been when he had run out of the room suddenly after spending a fair amount of time making out with her (a thought which gave her a little thrill).

Regardless, it appeared she had misjudged him…perhaps she should apologize to him.

This would be a first. She couldn't think of any other times where she had felt the necessity to apologize to Sheldon for a blunder, rather than the other way around…

Well, the night wasn't getting any younger. She supposed she had better just do it.

As she stood up and started walking back towards Sheldon's room, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. What if things didn't go well?

But no, she had better not start thinking that. She again paused in front of the door, steeling her nerves, before lifting her hand and knocking on the door.

"Who is it?"

She cleared her throat. "It's Amy."

"Oh…"

She waited, wondering if he was going to deny her access to his room.

After what felt like several minutes, but was probably actually several seconds, she heard him say. "Enter."

She opened the door and walked inside. Sheldon was sitting at the edge of his bed, holding the latest Flash comic. He blinked at her, his face curiously blank.

"Yes?"

She shuffled her feet and cleared her throat, looking at the floor. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to his face. "I came to apologize."

He blinked at her, face still blank. "I see…"

When she didn't say anything else he cleared his throat. "You didn't actually apologize."

She stifled a smile. Something about his slightly condescending attitude made her feel better. This was the Sheldon she knew and loved.

"I'm sorry."

He raised his eyebrows. "For…"

She stifled another smile. "For thinking you had ulterior motives and not fully appreciating the effort you went to tonight."

"There it is…" He nodded at her. "You're forgiven."

He frowned. "And if I may ask, why _did_ you think I had ulterior motives?"

Amy shrugged, moving to sit by him on the edge of his bed. "You've never done something like that without ulterior motives before."

He looked thoughtful. "Are you sure?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Quite sure. The last time you prepared a meal for me was when you wished to amend the Relationship Agreement in such a way so as to prevent me from kissing you."

"Interesting." He set down his comic book and turned towards her. "And yet, when I attempted to do something nice for you I was met with hostility…surely you can see why I wouldn't want to attempt it again."

She frowned. "No. I would love for you to do something like that again…but I have to ask, why _did_ you suddenly decide to prepare a nice meal for me? What was the occasion? The last time I saw you was when you ran away after making out with me."

Sheldon looked forward, appearing to be thinking of his response. She saw his eyes dart all over the room, before finally resting on his shoes.

Just as she was wondering if he was planning on not answering, he took a breath and turned to her. "I was testing a hypothesis."

She was confused. "A hypothesis?"

He nodded.

"What was the hypothesis?"

His eyes darted around the room again. "That we are in a normal relationship."

A normal relationship? She thought for a moment. They were definitely in a relationship, but if the comments made by Penny and the rest of their friends were to be believed, then it was not to be considered "normal".

She cocked her head. "How did you develop this hypothesis?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled quickly. "I spent the majority of last night, after…" He made a generic gesture.

"We made out? French kissed? Locked lips? Played tonsil hockey? Macked? Scammed? Snogged?"

Sheldon blinked at her and then rolled his eyes. "Yes. After we did…that…I spent the majority of the night trying to reconcile my behavior."

Amy frowned, confused. "Reconcile your behavior?"

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. I have spent almost my entire life upholding the belief that physical relationships are, if you'll pardon me, unsanitary. So why did I suddenly throw caution to the wind and not only allow you to stick your tongue in my mouth, but actually participate and reciprocate? Rather than find the action unsanitary and immediately feel the need to rinse with mouthwash, I gave no thought to germs and actually found the experience enjoyable."

Amy smiled at him. "You found the experience enjoyable?"

He rolled his eyes. "Amy, please. Focus."

She attempted to wipe the smile off her face and cleared her throat. "Of course. Sorry." She did a little internal dance at the news that he had enjoyed himself. She couldn't wait to text Penny. "Please continue."

"As I was saying, I spent a good deal of the night pondering my behavior, rather than sleeping. I left early this morning for work, because I wished to avoid seeing you until I had sorted out my behavior. Much to my dismay, rather than spend the morning working, I spent a good portion of it alternately thinking about my predicament or dozing. It wasn't until I was at lunch that I surprised myself by thinking that it was illogical for my friends to be teasing me, because what I had done was a normal thing to do with your girlfriend. I naturally tested out my hypothesis, stating my thought to my friends, and then collecting the results. The results of the experiment led me to believe that my thought was, in fact, correct. That what I had done was not something of note, but a natural and quote, unquote normal thing for me to do. Granted, I was not very happy at the thought that I was behaving as other humans do, considering that I would like to believe that you and I are part of the new Homo Novus species on this planet. However, I had decided, for the sake of my hypothesis, to proceed with the testing of said hypothesis. As I was riding home with Leonard I pondered what else was normal for a boyfriend to do. When I verbalized my query, he stated that it is normal for a boyfriend to occasionally prepare a nice meal for his girlfriend. So that is what I did. And of course we now know that it was a complete failure."

Amy blinked at him, trying to process everything he had just said. He had been working under the assumption that he was "normal"? That _they_ were "normal"?

"Sheldon…do you think I want you to be quote, unquote normal? That I want our relationship to be quote, unquote normal?"

He looked at her. "Isn't that why you're always pushing me to move to another level when you know perfectly well I'm happy at whatever level we are at?"

What a fascinating, and yet disheartening, misunderstanding.

She turned to him. "Sheldon…can I grab your hand?"

He appeared shocked. "Of course."

She grabbed both of his hands off his lap and held them in both of hers. "There has been a rather large misunderstanding between us."

He cocked his head to the side, looking curious.

"I don't want a normal relationship. And it's just plain silly for anyone to expect you to be normal. I don't want you to be normal. I want you to be Sheldon. I have and always will, like you for you."

"Then why are you always trying to change me?"

"I'm not trying to change _you_. I'm trying to…adjust your behavior…I'm given to understand that most relationships are about compromise."

"Ok. 'A', after just stating that you don't want a quote, unquote normal relationship you compare your actions with the actions of other humans in relationships. 'B', isn't adjusting my behavior the same thing as changing me? And, 'C' if most relationships are about compromise, then how come _I_ am the one always doing the compromising?"

Amy nodded. "Fair questions. Let me start with 'C' and work my way backwards. I believe it is a fairly established fact that you are a man who knows what he wants and doesn't like to deviate from it. Some might call it stubbornness. I on the other hand, am much more malleable. As a result of your stubbornness, coupled with my willingness for change, it ends up being you who resists something new and/or different, and, therefore, it feels like _you_ are the only one who is making compromises."

Sheldon looked thoughtful. "Fascinating. I'm not sure I agree with your assertion that I am stubborn, but your logic does make some sense." He gestured for her to continue.

"As for items 'A' and 'B', I believe I can answer both those queries with the same explanation…Let us first both assume that we are indeed part of a new evolution of man. That would mean that we are the Adam and Eve, of sorts, of our species."

Sheldon nodded. "Naturally."

"So, if we are to eventually repopulate the earth with this superior species, then it stands to reason that we would need to propagate eventually. Now, of course this could be done in a lab, as previously agreed by the both of us at the start of our friendship, but, as we are now in a relationship, and because your mother would quote, unquote have a cow, it makes more sense to eventually enter into a physical relationship. As previously stated, you are stubborn. Not to mention your previously stated belief that physical relationships are unsanitary. So, in order to ensure the continuation of our new species, I have found it necessary to pursue a physical relationship with you…and also because you get my motor running."

Amy hadn't quite meant to say that; it had just sort of slipped out. She felt her face grow hot and looked down at their hands.

When Sheldon didn't say anything, she looked up at him. He was looking at her, blinking, with his mouth slightly open.

She didn't know why he was _so_ surprised…she had asked him several times in the past about the possibility of coitus…

She cleared her throat. "So…to continue. By default, if I am pushing you into a physical relationship, then we are following a course set out by the rest of humanity, as well as making it necessary to change your behavior. However, I would never want to change _you._ If you were to inherently change who you are, then you would not be the same Sheldon…and we would never work as a couple."

Sheldon looked at her for a few moments. "And you don't think that a Sheldon which enters into a physical relationship is an inherently changed Sheldon?"

"I think the fact that you just referred to yourself in the third person proves that that is not the case."

He looked at their hands and then back at her. "Fascinating."

Amy was quiet for a moment, mulling a question around in her head. She wanted to know the answer, but was afraid of what Sheldon would say. It was one which she had had in the back of her mind for some time.

She gathered her courage, took a deep breath, and looked up. Sheldon was looking at her already, head cocked.

"I have a question…It's one which has been bothering me for some time…"

She paused, starting to get more nervous about his potential responses. She let go of his hands and turned around to face the front, taking a deep breath.

When she didn't speak for several more moments Sheldon said, "Amy?"

She turned her head to look at him.

"Are you going to ask your question or not?"

She felt the corners of her mouth turn up slightly at his impatience. She nodded and turned her body back to face him again.

She cleared her throat, trying to reclaim her courage, ruing herself for stating that she had a question to begin with.

"Do you…am I…" She paused, taking another deep breath, before saying very quickly, "Do I get _your_ motor running?"

Sheldon raised his eyebrows and blinked at her for several seconds, before his eyes started darting around the room. He cleared his throat.

"Yes."

Her mouth popped open in shock. "Yes?"

His eyes kept darting everywhere but at her. "Yes."

"So…you find me attractive?"

He looked at her then and frowned. "Of course I find you attractive. I've told you so before."

"But that was when I was dressed in fancy clothes, with fancy hair, and fancy makeup…"

She looked down.

Neither one spoke for quite a while. Amy was starting to gather up her courage to tell Sheldon never mind, that she didn't need to hear that she was pretty because he had just said that she got his motor running, when he spoke up.

"Amy. You're the most attractive person I know. Also, excluding myself, naturally, you're the most intelligent person I've met. And you're fun. You're, as the colloquialism goes, the whole package."

Amy looked at him, completely discombobulated. Had Sheldon Cooper really given her such a magnificent compliment?

She grinned at him. "I'm going to kiss you now."

She threw herself at him, nearly knocking him backwards, kissing him for a very long time.

When she finally drew back, he looked at her, turning the corners of his mouth up ever so slightly. "That was a statement not a question. That's a violation of the Relationship Agreement for you."

She smiled again, shrugged, and then went back to kissing him.

* * *

><p>Over the next few months Amy and Sheldon settled into a happy pattern. They still had little scuffles, naturally, such as when Amy didn't want French toast on French toast day, but on the whole things were going well.<p>

The results of their discussion, following Sheldon's attempt to be normal, had yielded good results. Amy no longer worried that Sheldon only cared for her mind. And whenever she was having a bad day, she would remind herself of Sheldon's compliment and feel instantly elated. Sheldon found her attractive. She got his motor running. Life really was good!

Amy also noticed a subtle change in Sheldon. She had continued her experiment of exposing him to germs. Of course, she had _told_ him that she was doing things, like having his friends touch his food, but in actuality she was doing nothing. She knew that the battle was in his mind. She didn't _really_ want to expose him to that many germs, as his immune system would need time to boost itself. But she wanted him to get over his fear of exposure…of course, frequently kissing him had helped, she was sure.

But he had certainly come a long way. He had even managed not to freak out when he accidentally took a drink from Raj's glass at the Cheesecake Factory. Of course, as soon as they had returned home he had very thoroughly brushed his teeth and gargled mouthwash for approximately 5 minutes, but it was an improvement.

As for how else Sheldon had changed, he seemed to be…for want of a better word to describe it…looser. Penny, and the others, frequently commented on the change. He was, of course, still the Sheldon she loved, but he was more apt to smile, his rants were much shorter than they had been in the past, and he actually used the word "please" once when _asking_ Penny to get out of his spot.

Raj had once hugged her on his way out the door, and when she had looked at Howard in surprise, he had stated that they were all grateful for whatever it was she had done to change Sheldon from a "giant douche" into a "tolerable jerkwad".

* * *

><p>"Amy, is it <em>really<em> necessary for me to be here?"

Amy sighed. They were walking up to her mother's house. It was her 65th birthday and the entire family was going to be present. Since Sheldon had ditched her on the last entire family gathering, and as it was _her mother's_ birthday, her entire family expected him to be there…"assuming he is real".

"Yes Sheldon. You are expected to be here. And why are you so resistant to meeting my family?"

"I'm not resistant…I'm…uninterested…I don't care to meet people who don't believe I exist."

They stopped at the front door, getting ready to walk though.

"Well, you obviously _do_ exist. And I want to prove it. And," she smiled at him. "I want to show off the arm candy I'm dating."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Really Amy? That's a Penny phrase if I ever heard one."

Amy shrugged, grabbed his hand, and opened the door.

It was a nightmare from the start. Amy always dreaded spending time with her extended family, but the embarrassment of constantly being put down was made all the more embarrassing by having Sheldon hear it all.

Sheldon, for his part, behaved admirably, especially given the circumstances. He was, of course, completely condescending, but most of Amy's family was so dense that they didn't recognize his condescension. Only her mother continually frowned at him.

Amy enjoyed watching her family attempt to verbally spar with Sheldon. The highlight of the evening, for her, was when one of her cousins insulted her and Sheldon came to her rescue, giving him a scathing reply.

It was at that point that her mother grabbed Amy by the arm, and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Amy, you need to do something about Sheldon."

Amy crossed her arms. "What do you mean? I think he's being charming."

"Charming! He has been nothing but condescending since the moment you walked through the door!"

"Well, they all deserve it."

Her mother frowned. "Amy, that's not nice. They don't deserve to be treated disrespectfully."

"Oh, _they_ don't deserve to be treated disrespectfully, but it is ok for them to make fun of me?"

"Oh Amy, they're just teasing you."

"Well I don't appreciate it. And obviously neither does Sheldon."

Her mother sighed. "Amy, I realize he's your first boyfriend, but you really have blinders on…are you _sure_ you aren't ready to move on to someone else? I'm sure you can find another person who's more pleasant to be around."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "No mother. I'm not ready to move on to someone else. I will never be ready to move on to someone else. I plan to spend the rest of my life with Sheldon. I love him and there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

She crossed her arms, waiting for her mother's reply.

Her mother cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable, and looked behind Amy. "Is there something I can do for you Sheldon?"

Amy's eyes grew big. She turned around slowly to look behind her. Sheldon was standing in the doorway, blinking at her with his mouth open.

**A/N: Thoughts? Feelings? Concerns? Clickity Click that little review button and let me know. I'm eager as always. :)**

**P.S. Don't worry, you'll see more of what happened at the Party. ;) Oh and FYI, this is my longest chapter to date. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Oh. My. Goodness. So sorry about the wait. You guys were so awesome and totally overwhelmed me with the awesome reviews. And then I had these grand plans of updating quickly. And then my plans all got foiled. But that's ok. It's here now! And, it is 1500+ words longer than my previous chapter (which had been my longest). There was a lot to cover. Oh and...I haven't the foggiest idea what Amy's family is _really_ like, but this is my interpretation of the people who make fun of her so often as to induce her to make up a fake boyfriend. But enough jibber jabber on my part, I'll let you get to reading!**

**Sheldon**

Sheldon detested meeting new people. They always wanted to shake hands, which violated not only his germ aversion, but also his touch aversion.

He also found meeting new people to be a tedious affair, as no one was ever worthy of his condescension. Almost the entire human race was beneath his intelligence level and he found it annoying to have to attempt to sink to their intelligence level in order to converse.

And when it came to meeting Amy's family, in particular, he found his aversion was particularly strong. He had of course met Amy's mother on a few occasions. She was pleasant enough, but her intelligence was nowhere near Amy's, which was disappointing, but not unexpected. It was not _her_ fault (and he used the term "fault" lightly) that she had birthed the second person in a new evolution of man.

Although Sheldon understood that he could not avoid meeting Amy's mother, he did _not_ understand why she was so insistent on his meeting the rest of her family. She had explained that she wished to show him off, but he had countered with the belief that a photograph of the two of them should suffice. Amy, however, had explained that her family would likely think she had photoshopped him into a picture with her. Rather than convince him to meet them, this had further proved his point. Why should he meet people who not only didn't already know who he was, but, further more, didn't even believe he really existed?

But Amy had been most insistent, pulling the Relationship Agreement out on him, and threatening legal action if he again broke it like he had the year prior with her Aunt's birthday party. Never mind all the times he had let her slide on _her _violations…So he had been left with no choice but to attend.

As he and Amy walked up towards the house he felt a fluttery feeling in his stomach. It was not nervousness, of course. What did he have to be nervous about? He didn't care if Amy's family liked him. They were all probably too stupid to recognize the honor of meeting him anyways…He was more than likely having an adverse reaction to the organic eggs that Amy had bought (against his wishes) and cooked for him this morning.

As soon as Amy opened the door and they stepped inside, they were greeted by a cacophony of sound.

"Well, look who it is!"

"Oh this must be Sheldon! Hey Phil! Look at this! Turns out I owe you $10 after all!"

Sheldon felt a hand pat his cheek. "Yep! He's real! Hahahahahaha!"

Before he could respond to the invasion of his personal space, another relative of Amy's grabbed Sheldon's hand and started pumping it up and down in a shoulder-dislocating hand shake. "Good to see you, son! Good to see you! I'm Amy's Uncle Joe."

Sheldon pulled his hand back as quickly as he could, but yet again before he could respond, he felt a rib shattering slap on his back. "_Ha!_ I _knew_ you had to be real! I didn't figure Amy'd actually move apartments just to keep up appearances!"

Sheldon turned around, prepared to give whoever-it-was a lecture on slapping a person's back when they are not choking. As he did so, however, he found himself face to face with an extremely muscular man…who immediately yelled next to his ear, "Tadd! Get over here! Sheldon's real! You gotta see this! Looks like you owe me a coke!"

Sheldon opened his mouth to tell begin yelling at everyone to step away immediately, but before he could start his rant, he felt another rib shattering slap on his back. "Hey! You must be Sheldon."

Sheldon coughed and turned around to find another extremely muscular man, identical to the one now standing behind him, holding a carrot and chewing. The man, obviously named Tadd, grabbed Sheldon's hand before he could stop him and started shaking it with such vigor that Sheldon worried his elbow would snap.

Without letting go of Sheldon's hand, Tadd put his other arm around Sheldon and turned his head to talk right in Sheldon's ear, spitting bits of chewed up carrot as he spoke. "Hey man! Great to finally meet you. We've certainly heard plenty about you, but had started to wonder if you were Amy's imaginary boyfriend. You know, like…what was his name?" He gestured with his hand, trying to think of the name. He looked over at Amy. "Come on Amy, what was the name of that fake horse man you said you were dating?"

Sheldon shrugged off Tadd's arm and extricated his hand, leaping away, frantically wiping his ear, and immediately reaching for the hand sanitizer that was no longer in his pocket (thanks to Amy).

"Good _lord_! Will you people stop _touching_ me?" He yelled, looking around at all the unfamiliar faces.

Tadd guffawed, slapping his twin (who must be Brad) on the back. "Boy! He's a little skittish isn't he!"

Brad guffawed as well and looked at Amy, who's normally pale skin was currently a very bright shade of red. "How'd you ever pin him down Amy? Seems like one look at your brain collection woulda been enough to send him packing."

He turned towards Sheldon. "Or did she pay you?" He laughed. "Come on. Man to man. You can tell us. We're all family here. Did Amy pay you to go out with her?"

Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "_Excuse_ me, but _no_ Amy did not _pay_ me to go out with her. And, I can't believe…"

Brad and Tadd guffawed again. "Ah! We were just kidding!"

Suddenly a quiet voice spoke up. "Amy dear. Why don't you take Sheldon to go get a glass of punch."

Sheldon looked over to see Amy's mother through the crowd. She was frowning at Sheldon.

He frowned in return. "No. Lord knows how many people have touched the ladle. I don't…"

Amy rushed over to grab Sheldon by the hand and quickly pull him through the crowd. "Yes you do Sheldon. Come on."

Sheldon followed her reluctantly to the refreshment table. When she started to grab a glass for punch he said, "Amy. I have no intention of drinking the punch. There are children around. They've probably stuck their hands in the bowl. I'll take a water..." He looked around. "Where is your mother? This is her house. It's really up to her to be providing me with a beverage."

Amy blinked at him. "Sheldon, it's _her_ birthday party." She sighed. "I'll go get your water."

He nodded at her. "Thank you."

Sheldon watched Amy walk through the kitchen door. When he turned back around, he jumped, startled. Standing about a foot away from him was a tall, skinny, bottle blonde.

She smiled at him, through lips that were an unusually bright shade of red. "Hi. I'm Amy's cousin Betty. You must be Sheldon. Amy's told me _so_ much about you…" She popped gum that Sheldon hadn't realized she was chewing, moving her eyes from Sheldon's head to his feet, "But she didn't mention that you're, like, a total hottie…you know," She gestured with a hand, "…underneath all the weird clothes. And the weird hair." She started to run her fingers through Sheldon's hair, but he jumped backwards and frowned at her.

"Ex-_cuse_ me. I'll thank you not to touch me or my hair!"

She popped her gum again and smiled. "Ok, Mr. Hippity Hop."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. It was beyond his comprehension that Amy had come from such a genetic pool…although, then again, he himself had come from a subpar stock.

"So…you're like…a rocket scientist or something right?"

Sheldon scoffed. "A _rocket scientist?_" He narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm a Theoretical Physicist."

She stared at him blankly, chewing her gum like some sort of bovine chewing cud. "What's the difference?"

"What's the _difference_?" Dear Lord, how long was he going to have to put up with conversations like these? He had been here less than ten minutes and already his patience was thinning.

"The _difference_ is that I study the complexities of the universe. I solve the great mysteries of humanity. A _rocket scientist_ sends metal cylinders into space."

She nodded slowly. "That's, like, so cool."

"Which part."

"What?" She snapped her gum again.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. This was an extremely tedious conversation. Where on earth was Amy with his water? "Which part is 'like, so cool?' That I study the universe or that a rocket scientist sends metal cylinders into space?"

She stopped chewing her gum for a moment, mouth open, frowning. Sheldon supposed she must be thinking. She snapped her fingers, nodded, and then pointed at Sheldon. "That you study the universe."

Sheldon again rolled his eyes. "Correct."

She smiled, twisting a piece of her hair around her finger. "Thanks…you know…I could totally give you a makeover and make you totally hot."

Sheldon just blinked at her. "Why on _earth_ would I let you anywhere _near_ me?"

She shrugged, obviously missing his rhetorical question. "Because I'm a scientist too."

"I beg your pardon?" There was simply no way that this ditz of a woman was a scientist.

Just then Sheldon felt someone throw their arm around his shoulder. "Sheldon! My main man!"

Sheldon froze and looked to his right, glaring, to see Brad…or perhaps it was Tadd, grinning at him. Whoever-he-was nodded his head in Betty's direction. "S'up Betty? What're you and Sheldon here talking about?"

Sheldon threw off Brad/Tadd's arm, narrowing his eyes. "Betty, here, was just going to explain to me how she is a scientist."

Brad/Tadd guffawed. "Betty the scientist? Yeah, Betty, how exactly _are_ you a scientist?"

She looked affronted. "I'll have you know, that I work with chemicals every day. I'm a hairdresser. I have to mix hair dye and if I don't do it correctly, then someone who wanted red hair could end up with pink hair." She stuck out her tongue at Brad/Tadd.

Sheldon couldn't believe his ears. "Yes…I can see how mixing hair dye could be considered even remotely similar to what I do…" He looked around for Amy, who had been taking _far_ too long with his water and saw that she was currently being held captive by a relative.

"See? _Sheldon_ thinks I'm a scientist."

Sheldon scoffed. "I most certainly…"

"Sheldon!" Sheldon felt another arm being thrown around his shoulder. He now no longer wondered why Amy seemed obsessed with physical contact. Clearly it was in her genetics. He sighed and looked over to see Tadd/Brad.

He shrugged out from under Tadd/Brad's arm. "Ok, listen! All three of you! Stop touching me! I don't want you," He gestured towards Betty, "running your fingers through my hair, or you," He gestured towards Brad/Tadd and Tadd/Brad, "throwing your arms around my shoulders! Just stop!"

Brad/Tadd held up his hands. "Whoa-ho-ho. Chilax dude." He turned towards Tadd/Brad. "_Clearly_ Amy's not putting out."

Sheldon, recalling the time Wolowitz's explained the meaning of the phrase "putting out", saw red (figuratively speaking of course). "_Excuse me_, but that is _none_ of your business!"

"Sheldon, dear?"

Sheldon felt a hand on his arm. He looked down to see who the offender was this time, already preparing to repeat his tirade on touching. It was Amy's mother. She gave him a look, which caused him to shut his mouth, before suddenly smiling and saying, "Will you please come with me dear? Amy would like to introduce you to some more of her relatives."

She smiled sweetly at the Betty, Brad/Tadd, and Tadd/Brad. "You don't mind if I steal Sheldon away, now do you?" The all three shook their heads and Sheldon felt himself being led towards a group of the elderly.

He looked around again for Amy, who had never returned with his water. She appeared to be listening to two women, both of whom were gesticulating with such vigor that Sheldon wondered that they didn't inadvertently poke Amy in the eye. Amy looked over at him, gave him what he assumed was a sympathetic look, and shrugged, before one of the women grabbed her by the chin to turn her face back around.

"Here we are dear."

Sheldon turned around and found himself face to face, or more specifically chest to face, as she was very tiny, with a frail looking old woman.

Amy's mother gestured to the old woman. "Sheldon, this is Amy's Aunt Flora. Auntie Flora, this is Sheldon."

Aunt Flora gave Sheldon an appraising look. "So. This is the man who chose to play video games rather than come to my 93rd birthday party last year."

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. That was me. But obviously it wasn't a big deal. It's not like you died within the past year."

Aunt Flora raised her eyebrows. "I see. So you think it's ok to stand up an old woman?"

Sheldon cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable. This woman was an entire decade older than his Meemaw. "I didn't stand you up. I stood Amy up."

She gave a bark of laughter. "And you think _that's_ ok?"

"Of course not. I didn't intentionally stand Amy up. It was all a misunderstanding."

She raised an eyebrow. "I see. And how many of these 'misunderstandings' do the two of you have?"

Sheldon frowned. "I don't see how this is relevant."

"You don't see how my trying to determine if you're suitable for my great-grandniece is relevant?"

"Correct…and why _wouldn't_ I be suitable for her? I'm a brilliant scientist at the top of my field."

Aunt Flora pursed her lips. "Yes. A brilliant scientist who thinks that video games are more important than spending quality time with my great-grandniece. This does not impress me."

"Well, I'm not trying to impress you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not trying to impress you." He wondered if he should speak louder. Perhaps she was hard of hearing.

"I see." She narrowed her eyes and pointed a gnarled finger at him. "Don't you think I won't have a good long talk with Amy about your behavior today."

Sheldon was confused. "What about my behavior?"

"Sheldon. There you are. Hello Aunt Flora."

He looked down to see Amy had finally joined him. He also noticed she was carrying an empty glass.

"I see you drank my water."

Amy looked down. "Yes. I was thirsty and forgot it was yours."

"Amelia."

Amy looked over at her aunt. "Yes, Aunt Flora."

Sheldon looked at Amy, confused. "Amelia? I didn't know your name was Amelia."

"It's not…"

"Yes." Sheldon looked over at Aunt Flora, who was currently frowning at Amy's mother. "I _told_ Amelia's mother, when she named her 'Amy', that it was a ridiculous name for a lady, and that I would not be calling her that. If Amelia had any sense, she would have changed it to Amelia as soon as she turned eighteen."

Sheldon frowned. "I disagree."

Aunt Flora raised her eyebrows. "_Do_ you?"

He nodded. "Yes. I think Amy is a perfectly satisfactory name. I think it is _'Amelia'_ which is ridiculous. Amy is obviously well suited to her name."

Amy smiled at him and grabbed his hand. He smiled back.

"I see." He looked back over at Aunt Flora, who was frowning at him. "Amelia, do you allow this boy to speak to _you_ with such insolence?"

Sheldon scoffed. "Insolence? It is _you_ who are being rude, refusing to call Amy by her rightful name."

Before Aunt Flora could respond, Amy tugged on Sheldon's hand. "Come on Sheldon, I wish to introduce you to more members of my family."

She pulled him away from Aunt Flora's frown, guiding him towards another set of relatives. The results were much the same as with previous family members. Every single person he met was nothing but annoyingly stupid. Not only did they all insist on touching him, which was detestable enough, and to berate him for missing a party that had been more than a year ago, which was annoying as well, but they constantly made Amy the butt of their jokes, which he did not find humorous in the least.

He may not understand sarcasm, but these people were not being sarcastic. They were blatantly making fun of a woman he…thought was not at all worthy of being made fun of. What did they know? He would bet his most valuable comic book that Amy's Intelligence Quotient was higher than all of her family member's put together (a bet which would most assuredly turn out better than his ill favored cricket wager with Wolowitz).

After nearly an hour of listening to people mock both himself, and the woman he…was fond of, he had had enough. When Brad/Tadd again made a comment about Amy paying Sheldon to date her, he again figuratively saw red.

He narrowed his eyes and huffed. "I don't understand _why_ you would think that Amy would need to pay _anyone_ to date her. She is an intelligent woman, meticulous in her hygiene, and yes, despite what _you_ obviously think, is aesthetically pleasing! And what are you?" He gestured. "You're just a…bald gorilla, prancing around, slapping people on the back with _far_ too much force, yelling in their ears, and obviously too _stupid_ to realize what a wonderful person you have for a relative."

He saw Amy being escorted by her mother towards the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the rest of the crowd, now curiously silent, and gestured. "That goes for all of you! You're all so…so…I can't even think of an insulting enough phrase to describe you! Why on _earth_ should I ever have wanted to meet any of you?"

He glared at everyone, breathing heavily. He looked around the room. Everyone was either staring at him open mouthed, or shuffling and looking at the floor.

This was absurd. He was going to go get Amy and demand that they leave. Surely they had fulfilled whatever social obligations they had.

He headed for the kitchen. As he neared it he could hear Amy's voice. He opened the door, also opening his mouth to speak, but what he heard rendered him silent.

"…plan to spend the rest of my life with Sheldon. I love him and there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

Amy appeared to cross her arms. Her mother cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable, and looked behind Amy, towards Sheldon, who was now rendered completely frozen.

"Is there something I can do for you Sheldon?"

Sheldon's mind was blank, save for one phrase, repeating itself over and over. _I love him…I love him…I love him..._

Amy turned around slowly, her eyes wide.

They stood staring at each other, neither one moving, save to blink their eyes.

Amy's mother cleared her throat. "Well…I should probably get back to the party…" She looked at the two of them, both still staring mutely at the other, and then walked out behind Sheldon.

After she left, Sheldon took a step into the kitchen. He didn't know what to say, how to respond.

"You love me?" He asked, feeling his friends tachycardia and shortness of breath return, bringing their friend vertigo with them while he awaited her response.

Perhaps she had spoken in haste. Perhaps she had only wanted to bait her mother to anger. Perhaps it was all a mistake…

But he didn't want it to be a mistake. Despite the return of his physical ailments, he found himself hoping that she would respond in the affirmative.

And why was she still not responding? This had to be the longest amount of time anyone, in the entire course of human history, has _ever_ taken to answer a question.

He took another step towards her. "Amy? Did I hear you correctly? You love me?"

She blinked at him, opening her mouth and then closing it and nodding.

Nodding is an affirmative gesture. _Amy Farrah Fowler loves me_, Sheldon thought, testing it out. He found that it made him feel…happy.

Curious that those five words could induce happiness. A moment ago he had been feeling ill. The moment before that, he had been feeling angry. And now he felt neither of those things.

Amy was still looking at him. Perhaps she was waiting for a response…but what response should he give?

_I believe you know which one_.

His heart started beating even faster. _I have no idea what you are alluding to, _he told the voice…although his normal vehemence was gone. Perhaps he _did_ know what the correct response was. But he was currently feeling confused. He was not used to examining feelings. The mere fact that Amy's confession made him feel happy was very confusing to him. He needed time to properly examine the causality before responding…

He looked at Amy again, who was still rooted to her spot like a statue. He frowned, looking at her stance. She appeared to be tensed, as if preparing to engage her flight response.

He found himself with a sudden urge to engage in physical contact.

Before thinking it through entirely, he stepped forward and wrapped both of his arms around Amy.

She remained frozen for a moment before she wrapped her own arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

He liked this. This felt right. He was happy. Amy loved him. And she wanted to spend her life with him. And that made him happy…And he enjoyed hugging her. Never in his life did he ever think he would enjoy hugging another human being.

They stood hugging for longer than was considered usual. When Sheldon eventually pulled back, Amy raised her head and looked up at him.

She frowned at him, in what appeared to be confusion. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

Sheldon was surprised. "Freaking out? Why would I freak out?...besides the obvious, which is that I _never_ freak out."

Amy gave him a look in response. "You freaked out this morning when I informed you the eggs were organic." He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "But that's beside the point. Why aren't you freaking out?"

"And I respond with my same question. Why would I freak out?"

"Well…" Amy looked thoughtful. "For one thing you despise feelings. And for another, you despise moving forward. I'd like to remind you of your reaction to my request that you meet my mother two and a half years ago."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "That was a long time ago. We were both different then. Surely you aren't attempting to gauge my potential reaction based _that_."

Amy blinked at him. Had she been measuring him against a former version of himself? As much as he was loath to admit it, it was obvious that he had changed, that he no longer held the same standards regarding relationships as he had those two and a half years ago...or at least he had believed it was obvious. The Sheldon of two and a half years ago would not be living with a girlfriend. Surely Amy realized this.

Amy eyed him then, opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Then she frowned, took a deep breath and said, "So…this news…doesn't scare you?"

He raised his eyebrows. "On the contrary…I find it makes me happy."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

He thought for a moment. Yep. Still happy. "Really."

Amy smiled at him, and then threw her arms around him in another hug.

Sheldon smiled to himself as he returned her hug. Yes. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but he most assuredly enjoyed hugging Amy.

When he let go of Amy and stepped back, he remembered his initial intent for finding her.

"I believe we have fulfilled our social obligation. I would like to leave now. I don't know how much more of your family I can take."

Amy smirked. "My mother hasn't yet blown out her candles…but if we leave through the back door here off the kitchen, then we'll avoid having to make up some excuse for leaving."

"Alright. Let's go."

He grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her towards the door quickly. The sooner they got out of there, the better.

* * *

><p>Sheldon looked down at Amy, asleep against his chest. It was the middle of the night, and Amy had had another recurrence of night terrors. Perhaps the stress of dealing with her insufferable family had brought them back. She had requested cuddling to help her get back to sleep. So here he was, lying in Amy's bed, with his arms around her.<p>

She loved him. And she had said she planned on spending her life with him. And that made him happy.

He wasn't sure how to even begin to ponder those three pieces of information. He and Amy had been living in near harmony for several months now. He hadn't had much to ponder during that time. He would never have believed it, but living with Amy was much easier than living with Leonard ever had been. She seemed to understand him in ways Leonard never had.

She understood him so well, in fact, that she knew exactly how to combat, what she called, his "germophobia". She knew that he was ever on the lookout and therefore she never repeated her attacks. Only someone who truly understood how his mind worked could be so devious in her tactics. And rather than find this discomfiting, he found it comforting. Amy understood him like no one else. And she loved him. And she wanted to spend her life with him. And that made him happy.

He had spent his entire life believing that there was not one person on the planet capable of truly understanding him. And yet, Amy managed to do it on a daily basis. And she loved him. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. And that made him happy.

As if on cue, he felt his niggling voice emerge, reminding him of all it had said. But rather than immediately silence it, he pondered the meanings of all those things he had heard in his head. What did it all mean? Why was there a voice in his head constantly reminding him of a feeling? What _was_ the feeling?

Prior to today he would not have wanted to spend his sleeping time pondering feelings. But Amy loved him. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. And that made him happy. And _that_ changed everything.

Now he truly wondered what his feelings for Amy were. He had taken for granted that he was fond of her. He had taken for granted that she was important to him. But what did it all _mean?_ Why was this wonderful, beautiful, green eyed woman so important to him?

He leaned his cheek against her sleeping head, enjoying the texture of her hair on his face, and continued pondering.

He recalled his last restless night, months ago, when he had pondered the moments of his relationship with Amy which had led to his being a willing participant in French kissing. He thought of all those moments again. He thought of the conversation he had had with Amy the evening of his attempt to be a "normal" boyfriend. Amy had said she liked him for him. She was the only person, aside from his Meemaw, that had ever said that to him. And she loved him. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. And that made him happy.

She had said that she loved him. But what did that mean? What did it mean to be in love with a person? He loved his Meemaw. He loved his mother. He even loved his friends, in a platonic fashion. But what did he feel for Amy? He understood the love he felt for his family and friends, but…that didn't fit Amy.

He breathed in deeply, smelling Amy's strawberry scented shampoo. He enjoyed the scent; as he enjoyed hugging her; as he enjoyed holding her now.

Was it possible that he was in love with Amy Farrah Fowler? Perhaps he should examine the data.

Item 1: He, a man who abhorred physical contact, enjoyed hugging, and kissing, Amy.

Item 2: Living with Amy had been easier for him than living with Leonard.

Item 3: He was currently feeling an emotion that did not fit the classifications of familial or platonic love.

Item 4: He found that the thought that Amy wished to spend her life with him comforting, rather than suffocating and/or panic inducing.

Item 5: Amy made him happy.

Logical Conclusion: He was in love with Amy.

He raised his cheek off of Amy's sleeping head. He was in love with Amy Farrah Fowler. When had this happened? And why had he not figured it out sooner? The data seemed so glaringly obvious, that he was tempted to retake the IQ exam to make sure he hadn't lost a few points.

How could he have been in love and not realized it?...And how did he feel about this?

He paused, eyes roving around the dark room, waiting for a sign of a panic attack.

But none came. On the contrary. He felt as if his heart was swelling in his chest…a point which he realized was not the case…although perhaps he should contact a cardiologist, just to be sure…

But no. He was 99.9% certain it was not enlargement of the heart in a literal sense. He was no expert, but he believed this might be what being in love felt like.

And he decided he quite enjoyed it. He smiled, resisting the urge to squeeze Amy. He settled for kissing the top of her head. He was in love with Amy.

* * *

><p>Sheldon had thought about telling Amy his conclusion immediately, but he had decided to wait until an opportunity presented itself, rather than just blurting it out. He spent a fair amount of the next few days pondering their situation. Of particular interest to him was the fact that Amy had said she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.<p>

He pondered this a great deal. What did that mean? How did he feel about it? Now that they were in love, where did the relationship go? Certainly there had to be a next step. It seemed that no matter how badly Sheldon wished to remain at whatever step they were at, there was always another one looming ahead. What was it?

He had an idea of what it was, and rather than scare him, he found himself mulling the idea over with interest. He spent several more days pondering the implications, and weighing the pros and cons before settling on his final decision. He decided that for this, he would need to enlist help.

_Knock knock knock_ "Penny."

_Knock knock knock_ "Penny."

_Knock knock knock_ "Penny."

Penny opened the door. "How do you do, cockatoo?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and instead cleared his throat. "Penny, I require your assistance in a matter of utmost importance."

**A/N: As always thank you very very very much for reading. I truly appreciate it. Here's a secret. I'm a perfectionist to a fault. I'm never ever satisfied with my writing and am always nervous when I post. Hence why I enjoy your reviews so much. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance! :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: So apparently, (if you happened to catch my edited A/N at the end of my previous chapter) all I needed to un-fry my brain, was to take the pressure off myself. So yay! Here's another chapter! I'm also going to take this time to answer a question posed by an anon reviewer, which I am sure is on multiple people's minds. Do I know how far I'm taking this fic? Yes. I've had an outline for all major plot points since before I started writing, and have always had at least 3-4 chapters ahead planned at any given time. And to the anon reviewer called "Someone", (A) Med school? How on_ earth_ do you find time for reading fanfiction? and (B) You thought the end of the previous chapter was cliche but not the one before that where Sheldon overhears Amy yelling she loves Sheldon to her mother? *raises eyebrow* ;) I'm sure there are writers (probably on the writing staff for tbbt) who can write a romance without the addition of cliches, but I'm not one of them. ;)**

**Amy**

Sheldon held the door to the coffee shop open, allowing Amy to walk through first. She was a little baffled at what they were doing here. Earlier this afternoon, Sheldon had insisted that they go to a coffee shop to get some tea. Amy had pointed out that they had several different varieties of tea at home, but he had stated that he had a sudden craving for green tea. Despite the fact that Amy had never known Sheldon to drink green tea, she had decided it wasn't worth the argument, and had agreed to go.

She had assumed they would walk, as the nearest coffee shop was a mere three blocks from their house, but Sheldon insisted that the last time he had gone that particular establishment he had witnessed one of the baristas sneeze and then continue to make coffee without washing their hands. When Amy had inquired where they were going instead, he had spoken the name of a coffee shop several miles from their apartment. And when Amy had asked why that particular coffee shop, Sheldon had adopted an air of nonchalance and stated that he preferred the water on that side of town.

Amy knew something was up, but she just couldn't figure out what. She and Sheldon had been in a curious state of suspension since the events of the previous weekend. She hadn't exactly _told_ Sheldon she loved him, but he had overheard her, and had hugged her in response…and then that had been the end of it.

Things weren't _bad_ between them, but Sheldon had been a bit aloof ever since. She frequently had to call his name twice or thrice before he would respond. It left her a little concerned. She understood that something had changed between them, but couldn't as yet ascertain whether it was a positive or negative change. Despite the fact that she hadn't said "I love you Sheldon" in so many words, the fact that she had admitted to loving him was still out there, and, as of yet, he had not reciprocated the sentiment.

"Amy, why don't you go find the appropriate seat."

She blinked, jolted out of her reverie. "You mean we're going to drink the tea here?"

"Of course. Where else would we drink it?"

"At home?"

Sheldon fidgeted. "No…I think it's best we drink our tea here…you can't drink tea while driving, or else you risk an unfortunate scalding accident…and if you wait until we get back to the apartment, then the tea would most assuredly be cold…no, it's best if we drink it here."

Amy frowned, confused at his insistence. "Ok…"

She turned to walk away, and then remembered she hadn't said what she would like to drink. "Sheldon, could you order me…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll order you the appropriate drink."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "The appropriate drink?"

He blinked. "Yes."

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but, deciding she was curious what he felt the appropriate drink was, closed her mouth and turned around to go find their seats.

She did a quick visual sweep of the establishment. There was something familiar about this place…She was sure she had been here before…

She shook her head and continued surveying the room, which was not very large, in search of the perfect seats. Ideally the table would be in the middle of the area, neither too close to windows or door, nor too close to the bathroom. In addition, she knew Sheldon preferred to avoid sitting next to anyone who might be considered chatty. As she scanned the small area, mentally crossing off the table next to the woman gesticulating wildly, she saw a couple of options. As she spent a few seconds contemplating which option would be best, however, a couple sat down in one, leaving her with only one table. She decided she had best go sit in it, before someone came and left her without a good seat to choose.

She sat down and waited for Sheldon to come back with their beverages. She looked around again, certain she had been here before. She would have to inquire of Sheldon when he returned. She looked over at the register and saw that he was now ordering.

She had not yet told him about her conversation with her mother earlier in the afternoon. Amy had not heard from her mother since her and Sheldon's hasty exit. She had been certain that her mother had called to yell at her, but instead she had apologized. When Amy had asked where this apology had come from, her mother had explained that the rest of the family had found Sheldon charming. Apparently, according to her mother, everyone, including Aunt Flora, had been charmed by Sheldon's chivalrous defense of her honor. While it was normally shocking to Amy when people _weren't_ charmed by Sheldon, in this case Amy had been taken aback. Her mother had even said that, for the rest of the evening, both Brad and Tadd had taken turns acting like gorillas. It was certainly a curious turn of events.

Amy looked up to see Sheldon walking towards her, carrying two cups. As he set down her cup, and sat down, she turned to him and said, "This place is familiar. Have we been here before?"

Sheldon looked surprised. "Really, Amy? I'm surprised you didn't recognize it the moment mentioned the name."

She waited for him to tell her when they had been here before, but he instead took a sip of his tea. She eyed him suspiciously, frowning.

He looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Aren't you going to drink your beverage?" He again adopted an air of nonchalance, eyeing her as he again sipped at his tea.

Yes. Something strange was definitely going on.

Amy grabbed her cup and took a sip. She frowned. "Sheldon…this is water."

He put on a face that she supposed was meant to convey innocence. "How odd…and how would you describe the temperature of the water?"

She took another sip. "Tepid."

Amy felt figurative alarm bells going off in her head. She looked around again, stopping at the cup in her hand.

"This is the coffee shop where we first met."

"Why yes, that is correct." Sheldon took another sip of his tea, eying her over the cup.

Amy blinked at Sheldon, mind racing. What had caused Sheldon to want to bring her to the place they had first met; give her the drink she had first ordered?

"Sheldon…what's going on?"

He looked at her for a beat, before setting down his tea and clasping his hands on the table.

"Amy, I have a matter I wish to discuss with you. It concerns the events of the past weekend."

Amy's heart started beating faster. She cleared her throat, mentally preparing herself for whatever Sheldon threw at her. "Very well." She also set down her cup and clasped her hands on the table.

Sheldon cleared his throat, sat up taller, and looked directly at her. "I wish to inform you that I am in love with you."

The shock Amy felt was almost palpable. It hit her like a wave, sending her ears ringing and causing her vision to momentarily blur.

"…What did you say?"

Sheldon sighed. "Really Amy, please pay attention. I said that I love you."

Amy blinked, still not quite able to process the information that has been set before her.

"I'm sorry Sheldon…I'm still not processing."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "How many times must I repeat myself? I love you!"

Amy smiled at him, comprehension beginning to dawn. "You love me?"

"That's what I've been saying."

Amy frowned. "How long have you known about this?"

"Since last Sunday…or Monday…it was the middle of the night, so that would make it the early morning hours of Monday."

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Through logically reasoning through all the facts, naturally."

Interesting. "And what are these facts?"

"I'm glad you asked. First, there is the fact that I enjoy physical contact with you, despite my otherwise extreme aversion to touching. Second, I have found living with you to be far easier than living with Leonard ever was. Third, after overhearing your declaration of love towards me, not only did I not feel the need to terminate our relationship, but indeed found your declaration comforting. Fourth, you make me happy. Therefore, the logical conclusion regarding the undefined emotion I had been feeling, was that I am in love with you…which of course brings me to the reason for which we are here."

He stood up, reaching into his pocket, and then paused. "You'll have to forgive the cloying cliché I am about to drag us both into, but Penny insisted that this was a non-optional social convention of sorts."

Amy blinked, heart racing. "…Ok…"

He pulled his hand out of his pocket. He was holding a box. Amy's eyes grew big.

He knelt awkwardly down onto one knee, grabbed Amy's hand, and cleared his throat. "Amy Farrah Fowler, I ardently admire and love you. Will you consent to be my wife?"

Amy's ears were ringing again. She started blinking rapidly.

Sheldon tsked at himself. "Of course, I forgot a key component. Naturally you can't agree until you have seen the ring." He opened the box and Amy saw a ring on which sat the largest diamond she had ever seen.

She looked from the ring back to Sheldon, and before she even realized what she was doing she shouted "YES!" and lunged for him, knocking the both of them to the floor.

As Amy kissed Sheldon's face repeated, he said, "We really need to work on your Kolinahr skills."

* * *

><p>"You said you 'ardently admire and love her'?" Leonard started snickering.<p>

Penny swatted his arm. "Hey! I told him to say that…it's cute!" She looked over at Sheldon. "Don't listen to him. It's romantic." She turned to Amy, who was naturally sitting next to Sheldon. "I bet you liked it didn't you Amy?"

"Actually, while I normally defer to you for all socially acceptable romantic conventions, in this case, I do believe it was…how did you phrase it Sheldon?"

"A cloying cliché."

Amy nodded. "Yes. A cloying cliché."

Penny rolled her eyes and sighed. "You two are obviously made for each other."

Amy looked up at Sheldon and smiled.

Leonard cleared his throat. "I'm still a little shocked that you decided to ask Amy to marry you Sheldon. How'd that happen?"

Sheldon frowned in confusion. "I don't follow."

"Well…was Amy pressuring you to get married?"

"No."

"Was your mother?"

"No."

"Well…if you weren't being coerced, then why were you even thinking about it?"

"Ah. I see. Well, when I overheard Amy's declaration of love for me, I also heard another item of information which I couldn't get out of my head. Amy had stated that she planned to spend the rest of her life with me…and try as I might, I couldn't get the phrase out of my head. I gave it a great deal of thought, not wishing to repeat my previous mistake of proposing too soon, and came to the conclusion that as I love Amy, and that I now knew that she loved me in return, it was only logical to propose."

Leonard was nodding thoughtfully as Howard and Bernadette walked through the door, Raj following behind, beer already in hand.

"Hey guys," said Howard, "What's the big news emergency?"

"Oh my _cow_! Look at the size of that ring!" Raj pointed at Amy and then rushed over.

Howard's jaw dropped and Bernadette gasped.

"Amy! Sheldon! You're engaged?" she squeaked. "Let me see the ring! Raj, let Amy get up!"

Amy stood up and walked over to Bernadette, who immediately grabbed her hand, eyes wide.

Howard looked a little skeptical. "Isn't that ring a little…much?" He glanced self-consciously at Bernadette's hand. "How many karats is that thing? Two?"

"Actually," interjected Raj, "it looks to be about three and a half karats at least. Oh! And princess cut! _Very_ nice."

Howard laughed nervously, "Yeah…but…Amy won't want to wear that thing around right? Isn't it a little gaudy?"

"I don't know," said Bernadette. "It seems to be working nicely with the tiara currently on Amy's head."

Just then Sheldon spoke up. "Ladies, Gentlemen, please. Allow my fiancé to have her hand back if you would. There is plenty of time to gawk at the ring _after_ we eat our celebratory ice cream."

Amy walked back to sit next to Sheldon, while everyone else found their way to their seats.

After they were finished eating, the group sat around carrying on several small discussions amongst themselves. Bernadette was busy assuring Howard that his ring choice for her engagement ring was more than satisfactory. Raj was currently regaling Leonard with the difference between the various cuts found in diamond rings. Penny and Sheldon were in a near heated debate over whether or not Sheldon's proposal fell under the category of cliché.

Amy took it all in, glancing slowly around the room. When she reached Sheldon and Penny, she smiled. Her fiancé and her bestie, fighting over her, in a way. Life was certainly good.

She looked down at her hand, entwined in Sheldon's, and couldn't help but remember that moment on Valentine's Day, well over a year ago, when the best she had hoped for was to hold Sheldon's hand.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Except not quite. Stay tuned for an Epilogue. Reviews appreciated. :)**

**P.S. Credit for the location of the proposal goes to Moyrani. It was several threads ago in the Shamy thread on Fan Forum.**


	28. Epilogue

**Amy**

Leonard looked at his watch and said, "Penny? I think it's probably time we get going. I'm sure Amy and Sheldon would like some privacy."

Amy hastily tried to reassure them. "You don't have to go. We…or at least I, enjoy having you here to help us celebrate."

Penny smiled and patted Amy's arm. "No sweetie, Leonard's right. We really should get going. Besides, the last time you yawned, Sheldon nearly threw us all out anyways." Penny winked and Amy smiled.

As Penny and Leonard stood up and walked to the door, Amy followed to wish them a good evening.

Bernadette turned to Howard and said, "We should probably go too. I'm pretty tired as well."

Howard immediately jumped up, holding out his hand to help Bernadette up.

Raj also looked at his watch and got up. "I should get going too. I promised Rani I'd help with the wedding planning tonight."

The group walked through the door and out into the hallway, Amy following, standing just outside the doorway.

Raj stepped toward Amy first and gave her a hug. "Congratulations again Amy."

Amy smiled at him. "Thank you Raj."

He looked at her seriously. "I mean it. You deserve it. I wouldn't be engaged if it weren't for you."

"And as I've told you before, you are most welcome. I found your Selective Mutism fascinating to study."

As he turned to walk down the stairs, Penny came over and hugged Amy as well. "I'm so happy for you guys…I'm still in shock you got Sheldon to agree to all this." She shook her head.

Amy shook her head back. "And as I've told you before, it was Sheldon who decided to proceed with the endeavor."

Penny shrugged. "I just can't wrap my brain around it, I guess."

"Penny?"

She looked over at Leonard, who said, "We really should get going. I told the baby-sitter we'd be back by 8:30 at the latest and it's already 8:20."

"Ok ok." Penny smiled over at Amy. "Call me if you need anything Sweetie."

Leonard kissed Amy on the cheek. "Congratulations again Amy. And tell Sheldon again that I said I'm happy for you guys."

He grabbed Penny's elbow and steered her towards the stairs. Amy missed having them live right across the hall, but she supposed they couldn't raise a family in a one bedroom apartment.

Bernadette walked over next, also hugging Amy. "Congratulations. I'm really so happy for you guys."

Amy again smiled and said, "Thank you."

She reached over to pat Bernadette's rapidly expanding baby bump. "Only a couple more months and it'll be _me_ saying congratulations to _you."_

Howard grinned and put his hand on Bernadette's stomach. "Yeah, I still can't believe I finally got her to agree to carry a child."

"It _is_ quite the feat, yes."

Bernadette rolled her eyes. "Ok. Let's go. Amy needs her rest, and so do I."

Amy waved goodbye to the two of them as Howard put his hand on the small of Bernadette's back to help her navigate the stairs.

Amy went back inside and closed the door, wondering what was taking Sheldon so long. She walked down the hallway to the second bedroom, stopping at the doorframe to admire the scene.

* * *

><p><strong>Sheldon<strong>

"This is ridiculous," Sheldon said. "This is an obviously flawed product." He threw the ruined diaper on the floor, and grabbed another. He was definitely going to have to write a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer. The basic materials for diapers were far too flimsy, the sticky part was far too sticky, and on top of that, it didn't even fit properly.

He looked over at his infant son, who was starting to whimper on the changing table. "Yes, you're absolutely right. It's completely ridiculous that you have to wear something as inherently flawed as this…this…contraption."

He exhaled in frustration as he again opened another diaper. He lifted his son's legs and carefully placed the diaper underneath.

As he was getting ready to pull up the top flap, a stream of urine hit Sheldon square in the chest. He leapt backwards with a yelp, hearing a laugh behind him. He immediately pulled off his shirt and turned around glaring, to find Amy laughing in the doorway.

He pointed at the baby, looking at Amy. "He did that on purpose!"

He looked over and scolded his son. "You did that on purpose!"

Amy laughed again. "Sheldon, don't be ridiculous. Stephen is only three days old. His brain is not developed enough to form coherent thoughts, let alone ones with malicious intent."

"Oh really?" Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Then why did he wait until I had just successfully arranged the diaper before dousing me with urine? And besides, he's not a normal baby. He's our son; the first in a line of superior benign overlords. For all we know, he _is_ capable of malicious thoughts."

Amy rolled her eyes at Sheldon and smiled. He found himself returning her smile.

Stephen started crying in earnest on the changing table, causing them both to look over. Sheldon started to walk over in order to resume his quest to change a diaper, but Amy put a hand on his arm and told him to go take a shower instead, as she was certain that Stephen was hungry and that the resolution was not something Sheldon could accomplish.

Sheldon agreed, but only because his son was hungry. He did not wish Amy to have to complete all tasks by herself, but, as she said, he did not possess the necessary glands with which to lactate.

When he returned to the room after his shower he found both mother and son asleep in the rocking chair. He stood in the doorway a moment, looking at Amy and Stephen, again marveling at the course of his life. He was not a man who believed in coincidence, but even _he_ had to admit it was remarkable that he and Amy's progeny had been born on the seventh anniversary of the day they had first met.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I want to thank you all very much for making the experience of writing, not only my first ever fanfiction, but also my first complete work of fiction ever (that was longer than the 10 pages required in HS) a complete joy. As you've, I'm sure, already gathered, I have very much enjoyed reading your reviews. Have no fear, you have not seen the last of me. I am totally hooked on writing. I have no less than EIGHT other ideas for fics, which have been driving me bananas. I know some of you really wanted a wedding scene, but I honestly felt that the baby scene fit better in the fic (and also had thought for a long time that the idea of Sheldon changing a diaper would be pretty hysterical), AND also, I kind of have some loose plans to write a little mini-fic, 1-3ish chapters, revolving around the wedding/planning. I also want to, at some point, write companion pieces to this fic which explains what's going on in the lives of the other characters at the same time as this fic. But for now, I'm trying to choose between 2 different AU fics, one is more of an ensemble piece, and one is strictly Shamy. I'm leaning more towards the strictly Shamy. :)**

**Oh and congratulations to all who caught my Pride and Prejudice reference. I'm thrilled so many did. I put that in there as my own little private joke. Someone on Fan Forum once compared Sheldon to "First Proposal Mr. Darcy" at about the time when Sheldon first proposed in my fic. I laughed to myself and thought "Good Grief! How did I end up writing 'P&P: Shamy Edition'?"**

**Also, the baby's name is Stephen, as in, after Stephen Hawking. And just in case it's not clear to you, Stephen was conceived naturally...not "scientifically". :) And as for the fact that he was born on the seventh anniversary of the day they met, that number was chosen with purpose. For those who aren't biblical scholars, Seven is known as the number of "completion". :) It has no underlying meaning in the story, I just like the metaphor.**

**So in conclusion, thank you ALL again. To the silent readers, regardless of the fact that you didn't review, I always enjoyed watching my stats and knowing you were there reading and (hopefully) enjoying my fic. I had 2 goals with this fic: (1)That it be "cute" and (2) that the characters remain within viewing distance of In Character. I hope I succeeded on both counts. :)**

**As always, please remember, (my new chant) "REVIEWS APPRECIATED!" :)**

**And thus ends what is now the 7th revision of my A/N. *rolls eyes***


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